Pee in the shower.

Need I say more?

-DeRoin.

I had so much fun offering up recommendations on how to save money at college; I’ve got some more advice for you freshmen and other college newbs out there. This time, check out my list of the nine types of people to avoid during the trials and tribs of dorm living.

-The smelly kid that never does laundry
Distinguishing characteristics: He (odds on favorite: it’s almost always a he) wears the same hoodie for a week straight; unlucky roommate finds any excuse to leave the stink pit.

-That mean girl whose always “trying to study”
Distinguishing characteristic: Always threatening to ‘tell on you’ to her RA when you’re playing hallway soccer outside her door at 9pm on a weekday.

-The new kid that wants to be in every club
Distinguishing characteristic: Is elsewhere all the time! It’s the white Protestant guy that you see during the first meeting of the African-American Students union AND the Catholic Daughters club.

-The overly astute Continuing Ed. student
Distinguishing characteristic: Asks dozens of unnecessary questions every class no matter what the assignment is– “What size font should our papers be typed in?”

-The senior guy patrolling for freshmen girls
Distinguishing characteristics: This cooler-than-thou species hits on every eighteen year old blonde he sees. Beware, he might have a cool party (and a popped collar), but he probably gets around more than Tupac and Digital Underground.

-The grandiose athlete
Distinguishing characteristic: This All-Conference second teamer thinks he can take Lebron James off the dribble or hit a Johan Santana changeup with ease and tells you all about it at dinner everyday.

-The student that always brings a laptop to class
Distinguishing characteristic: Actually playing Spider Solitaire, watching YouTube videos, or browsing eBay while the professor thinks he/she is diligently taking high-tech notes.

-Psychology majors
Distinguishing characteristics: They all convince themselves that they have the condition that they studied last week and are always stressed out!!!!!!11

-The hardcore party animal majoring in Athletic Training or Int’l Studies
Distinguishing characteristics: A one-time hot shot jock in the small pond he/she came from, this type talks up a huge game and tries to drink an even bigger one; don’t expect to see them on the Dean’s List or making it to 8 AM Monday/Friday classes.

If you steer clear or these annoying and/or hazardous people, your days will be a lot brighter. Just hope that you never become one of them!!!

PeAcE,
C. DeRoin.

I have good news and bad news, high school class of 2009 heading off to universities and colleges (and to anyone else enrolling or re-enrolling in higher education this fall). First, the good news- college is fun (but you should already know that)! Now, the bad news- it costs way too much (I hope you knew that). But you get what you put in it…and I found a few ways to put in a lot fewer dollar bills.

At the end of last school year, I gave a couple of presentations at my old high school (South Sioux City High represent) in the Economics classes about how to finance college and then make it through as debt-free (read between the lines: cheap) as possible. I offered tips and wacky stories from my experience as a collegiate and threw around numbers of what makes up actual college tuition costs, shared ways on how to cut corners economically, and preached how to hustle up and pay off student loans in no time.

Now it’s your turn- general public- to learn a few of my frugal secrets for succeeding in college. Some quick samples are below. But I have a whole three-part DVD seminar available for two easy payments of $29.99 on the subject if you really want more insight. I’ll even throw in a free ShamWow if you order now. (Maybe I’m just kidding for now, but you can money anyway…and I WILL produce those sessions and an infomercial!)

Without further ado—a bunch of actual and important tips:

-Buy Used Books. A) They are cheaper. B) They may already have the important stuff highlighted with notes in the margins…less reading for you!

-Always have cash or a debit card on you at all times. Never get a credit card no matter how many freebies the bank’s reps have at their booth during welcome week. Snatch the free cookies, pens, and balloons then skedaddle. I’m convinced credit cards are incarnated evil. Plus you can still build up your credit score by paying your bills (cell phone, cable, electricity) online by linking them to your debit card or bank account’s routing number.

-You won’t have cable, water, or power bills to pay when you live on-campus. So, do that! Sure room and board might cost more than renting an apartment and paying your own utilities, but the experience is priceless. You meet way more people and can partake in all the campus clubs and activities without even leaving. Plus, during the winter—no need to warm up your car while scraping the windshields.

-Embrace store brands. You’ll instantly get to know and love HyVee’s Midwest Country Fair and WalMart’s Great Value brands.

-Don’t think refund checks are “free money”. Schools offer checks once a semester if their financial aid gurus over estimated the amount you needed to take out in a loan. So, they billed you for this amount, and then gave it back to you. I advise you re-invest it in next year’s loans…don’t blow it on a party that Friday night.

-Take advantage of work-study and get an on-campus job and take benefit from the perks. You work at the bookstore: get first dibs on ‘damaged’ goods like clothes at cheap to free prices. You got a job at the cafeteria or coffee house: free food…I mean someone has to do quality control, right? You work in the mailroom: free subscription to whatever magazine anyone on campus orders…read then deliver. How about the library: get paid to do your homework.

-Don’t lend any of your movie collection to friends other than your roommate. You’ll never see those DVDs (or cassettes!) ever again. The same goes for dishes, CDs, etc. I have the ‘roommate exception’ because you know where they sleep!

-Carpool. As corny as it is, wait ‘til your shopping list grows or your roommate or friends down the hall needs to run errands, too. Plus, late night adventures running up and down WalMart aisles are always way more fun with a gang of people.

-And finally, as you soon as see the light at the end of the college tunnel and score your first job after graduation, don’t blow your first real paychecks on a fancy new car…pay off your student loans!!! That $50,000 investment will follow you around forever if you don’t tackle it right away. Invest seemingly compounds continuously on some of those things as soon as you step on that stage and grab your diploma.

In addition, check out this link: 118 Ways to Save Money in College. This site was my inspiration to compile my own list, plus I co-sign on quite a few of their suggestions, too.

You have any unique tips? Shoot me a line in the comments or at chrisderoin@gmail.com.

PeAcE,
C. DeRoin.

Fu-Schnickens vs. Lords of the Underground vs. Das EFX
 
Hey how’s about a “The ‘90’s On My Mind” special presentation?!?
Ready…good…cuz we’re gonna duke it out. We as Americans love to vote on things (presidential election, American Idol, the new flavor of M&Ms), so let’s do it again in the first of a series of matches I seemingly put together at random involving all aspects of pop culture from the best decade ever. I’ll touch on music videos, TV sitcoms, junk food, movie quotes, top athletes, memorable moments, etc. But today, let’s talk Hip-Hop.

Which East Coast group would win this 1990’s Hip-Hop battle? So, bust out the Timberland boots, Starter coats, notty dreadlocks, and help me decide: who had the freshest lyrics? Tightest image? Flyest crew? Coolest songs?

Let’s weigh in on the contestants first. Here’s the tale of the tape:

Das EFX
Meaning: Dray And Skoob Effects
Members: Krazy Drayzy, Skoob
Origin: Virginia by way of NYC
Allies: EPMD, RedMan
Hits: “They Want EFX” (1992), “Mic Cheka” (1992), appearance on “Check Yo Self remix” by Ice Cube (1993), “Real Hip-Hop” (1995)
Style: Pop culture references, cartoonish content, “iggedy” word prefix, double-time rhyming, Sewer slang

Fu-Schnickens
Meaning: For Unity coalition
Members: Chip Fu, Poc Fu, Moc Fu
Origin: Brooklyn
Allies: Shaquille O’Neal, A Tribe Called Quest
Hits: “Ring the Alarm” (1991), “True Fuschnick” (1992), “La Schmoove” ft. Phife Dawg (1993), “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” ft. Shaq (1993)
Style: Jamaican-influenced flow, pop culture references, tongue-twisters, Kung Fu references

Lords of the Underground
Members: DoItAll, Mr. Funkee, DJ Lord Jazz
Origin: Newark, NJ
Allies: K-Def, Marley Marl, Pete Rock
Hits: “Funky Child” (1993), “Tic Toc” (1993), “Chief Rocka” (1993), “Flow On” (1994)
Style: Eccentric wordplay, loud boastful raps, constant pop culture references, Run-DMC back-n-forth rhyme passing

All three groups had the same downfall: poorly received follow up albums after highly successful debuts filled with hits. Plus, Hip-Hop’s mainstream landscape had passed by such nonsensical, non-gangsta, cartoony acts…subsequently these groups all became lost in the shuffle. Das EFX hung around a lot longer and released more music than the other two, but they couldn’t shake the ‘iggedy’ label and eventually faded into obscurity. The Lords just couldn’t match their initial success and were seen by some as trying to jump on the EFX bandwagon. Fu-Schnickens just plain ran out of steam and seemingly no one wanted to hear what they had to offer; the group only made two albums. So which fleeting faction was your favorite?

–DeRoin.

…Now he just keeps coming back! If you throw a mangy mutt a bone one time, he’ll expect one every time and keep visiting your doorstep. Just like a certain #4, who the media CANNOT leave alone. Favre has just un-retired…for the second time.  (The story is SO big, Chad Ochocinco has even twittered about it.) And unlike Michael Jordan, he didn’t leave too soon to try his hand at baseball. Favre just took his ball and went home (twice!) until a new team called him up to come save their season (twice!)…all amongst a media frenzy that not even John Madden man-love could manufacture.

Sure he’s a good QB, if you can live with 20 interceptions every season (and that’s probably a really low guess). Yeah, I know the Vikings were in dire straits before when they had the tough choice on whether to rely on the scrambling chicken with his head cut off Tarvaris Jackson OR the Iowa State alum Sage Rosenfels (both equally terrible disses on both QBs in my book). Now they’ve got Favre, a guy who’s historically played badly in the Metrodome his whole Packers career. Now he can play terrible there for eight games!

Whether it was the attention or not, Brett Favre can’t stay away for long. Or maybe Brett was just that bored down in Mississippi with his Wrangler jeans.

-DeRoin.

((I almost made it to the end without a Michael Vick joke. I mean my opening was about dogs and a returning quarterback…the material practically writes itself! I can’t resist…so just one: Luckily the Eagles don’t visit the Browns this year. I don’t think Vick would survive the Dawg Pound. Yeah, I know…I’ll see myself out.))