Road Rules to 50

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Road Rules to 50
A few of these tips are based on the concept
that collective thriftiness and conservation are
the keys to reducing costs for everyone. For
example, conserving water and other resources are
not going to save individual students in the
short-term. Savings will be passed down, however,
to future students and our community-at-large. Mo
st of these tips are tried-and-true theyve been
used by generations of UCSC students. Others
will require a commitment to sacrifice, but can
save lots of dough.
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Dont Buy Stuff.
College students spend 300 times the amount of
money that students in 1970 spent. This does not
include student loan debt, but does reflect
changes in inflation. Average non-student
loan debt load in 1970 1525 (2007 dollars).
Average debt load in 1985 2550 (2007 dollars).
Average debt load in 2005 11775
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Fannie Mae, August 2007
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Santa Cruz is expensive.
Whether its a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk,
you are likely to pay more for it in Santa Cruz.
Longtime residents know where to shop and which
roads to travel and are more than happy to share
their knowledge. Ask questions. Where do you get
your car fixed? How do you get to Scotts
Valley? Where do you buy picture frames? The
tourists and the locals give different answers
to these questions.
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Use E-billing E-banking
Besides conserving paper, electronic finances
reduces the risk of identity theft and
fraud. How many times have you waited to send
a bill only because you needed stamps?
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Change your passwords every 6 - 8 Months
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Use your Bus Pass
Your student ID is also a bus pass. It can take
you places. Plus its free. Do you need to
go to Target? Capitola Mall? San Jose? Take a
bus down to Metro Center.
The Metro bus services ugly website can be found
here http//www.scmtd.com Use campus shuttles
whenever possible.
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Brew your coffee at home.
A 5 grinder and 15 coffee pot can start you on
the road to lifelong savings. Reducing your
take-out coffee can save you over 40/ month.
Thats almost 1500 in a four year college
career.
If you must buy a coffee house cup, at least
bring your own commuter mug.
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Share a Netflix Account
You have no time to watch 5 movies a week. Share
an account with a friend or roommate. In
2002, Blockbuster reported that 65 of its
profits came from late-fees.

• Or other online movie account.
• Legal Download services are also available.

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Buy Local Produce
Until November, you can buy freshly picked
produce and flowers at the base of campus from
the CSA Farm. Year round, there are 3 local
farmers markets Downtown Santa Cruz / Every
Wednesday, 230 - 630pm Westside Farmers Market
/ Saturday, 930am to 2pm Cabrillo College /
Every Saturday, 8 am - Noon
All are accessible by Metro buses. 20 Bus goes
down Western to the Westside Market.
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The UC Library System
Your student status gives you access to an array
of online and in-person services, including
interlibrary loan, free magazines journals,
academic databases, film and video catalogs,
color printing, wireless access points, discount
laser printing, friendly reference librarians
much more. Going to Berkeley? You can get into
the library with your UCSC ID card and check
out books.
http//library.ucsc.edu Check out a book from
any UC school, if UCSC doesnt have it available.
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When you get sick
College students are afflicted with an average of
3 colds per year. Often, they take longer to
recover because they dont treat their cold
effectively.
Here is what the SC Medical Clinic says, If you
start feeling sick, keep warm by dressing in
layers, drink plenty of fluids (preferably warm),
avoid caffeine, get plenty of rest, avoid OTC
cold medications (use a pain reliever, if
necessary), if your cold persists or lasts more
than a few days, contact a professional.
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Kresge recycles composts
Apartment living can create a lot of bulk waste.
Kresge offers a range of recycling capabilities.
But Recycling is NOT a passive experience, get
involved with the effort!
You can recycle all glass plastic (1 -7)
containers (cleaned), as well as most paper
(magazines, cardboard, colored paper, etc.). If
it is corrugated (those wavy things between the
paper), its cardboard and needs to be placed in
the cardboard dumpsters. Use fixit to get a
compost bin for your apartment. Recycle items
like batteries, ink cartridges in the college
mailroom.
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Use your Meal Card.
Besides eating at the dining halls Use your
flexi-dollars at restaurants and cafes. Take out
meals for now or later. Use your meal for credit
at ARCafe or Oakes Café. Use the NEW grocery
store for staple items. http//www.housing.ucsc.e
du/housing/Dining_Main.html
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Kresge Rideshare More
Find a ride back home or find someone to share
the fuel cost. That and many more cool things
(like this presentation) can be found at the
Kresge website. http//kresge.ucsc.edu
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Matinees Drive-ins
Evening prices for movies in town can exceed 10
per person. That doesnt even include
popcorn. Matinees around town run 6, but the
Drive-in on Soquel is 5 a person and its a
double-feature. Plus you can bring in your own
snacks. Romantic value priceless. The Drive
In is soon to close down. Dont miss it.
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Voice over Internet Protocol
Youve got super high speed internet access
here is one way to take full advantage of it.
VOIP technology allows you to talk for free over
the internet using your computer.
http//www.fcc.gov/voip/ UCSC has one of the
fastest internet systems in the United States.
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Fix-it at Kresge
All campus residents have access to free
maintenance of their domiciles. Got a problem
with your apartment, submit a fixit ticket at
http//fixit.ucsc.edu. Has your non-standard
light bulb gone out in your apartment? You dont
have to replace it. Put in a fixit ticket. No
charge.
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Get rid of your ride.
Gas prices, parking permits, insurance, parking
tickets, maintenance why exactly do you have a
car? In 1970, 1 in 35 UCSC undergrads had a
vehicle. In 1980, 1 in 25 UCSC undergrads had a
vehicle. In 2005, 1 in 4 UCSC undergrads have a
vehicle. Additional cost of a vehicle per
quarter 930 Rent a car for two weekends a
quarter 150
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Cancel Credit Cards.
According to credit bureaus, students who have
more than TWO credit cards are 40 more likely to
default and go bankrupt. In 2003, 60 of
Citibanks of domestic profits were a result of
the college-age market. The average APR for
students is 22. With minimum payments, a 1000
charge would take over 4 years to payoff and cost
nearly 2200.
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Free Discounted Software
As a student, you have access to loads of free
commercial software and big discounts on new
software. To to the UCSC IT website for more
information on free software. http//its.ucsc.edu
You can purchase new software at discount
prices at Baytree Bookstore. http//slugstore.uc
sc.edu
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Ditch the Inkjet printer.
There are tons of hidden costs involved in inkjet
color printing. Added paper and cartridge
charges make inkjet printing twice as expensive
as laser printing. If you need bw printing, get
a cheap laser printer or use computer labs to
print your work. If you need color printing, use
an online service, the library, or UCSC student
printing services.
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Bottled, Filtered Tap Water
Taste tests prove that few H2O drinkers can tell
the difference between the most expensive bottled
waters and a decent tap water. Yet college
students spend 1 billion dollars per year on
bottled and filtered water. Hydrologists
suggest filling a one gallon jug of tap water and
let it sit for 24 hours with the top open.
Slowly pour the water into another container.
Voila. All the gases and sediment are
removed. Dont believe it? Do a blind taste
test.
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Bottled, Filtered Tap Water
Taste tests prove that few H2O drinkers can tell
the difference between the most expensive bottled
waters and a decent tap water. Yet college
students spend 1 billion dollars per year on
bottled and filtered water. Hydrologists
suggest filling a one gallon jug of tap water and
let it sit for 24 hours with the top open.
Slowly pour the water into another container.
Voila. All the gases and sediment are
removed. Dont believe it? Do a blind taste
test.
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Fallacy of the Bulk Buy
How much peanut butter are you going to eat in a
year? Do you need to have all of it in your
closet? According to retail industry analysts, a
quarter of all bulk buy sales are thrown away
unused. Especially wasted items include pasta,
rice, dairy, frozen goods, fruits, vegetables and
cleaning / household goods.
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Buy from Local Retailers
Trader Joes, New Leaf, Staff of Life, The Food
Bin, Shoppers Corner and many more local
businesses pride themselves on selling organic,
sustainable foods and goods. They also provide
many jobs and scholarships to college-age
students. They also use substantially less
packaging than their larger, corporate
competitors.
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OPERS
OPERS offers students great discounts on great
classes services. Yoga classes, sleeping bag
rental, weekend kayak trips, cooking workshops,
surfing equipment, etc. All with your student
ID. http//www2.ucsc.edu/opers
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Lunch Buffet
Dont wait for dinner. All the best restaurants
in town have the best deals during weekday
lunches. Tired of the dining hall? Most lunch
specials hover around 8 (get water) and include
a great assortment of healthy, filling
entrees. http//www.santacruz.com/dining/
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Used Consigned Clothes
The Santa Cruz community supports a wide-variety
of used and consignment shops. The downtown area
alone features 12 stores that sell discount used
clothes. For those adventurous types, the
Bargain Barn (located near Costco) is a
free-for-all drop of return items from all
California Goodwill depots. http//www.santacruz
.com/thrift-shops/
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Single or a Double
Many students get a single room, thinking they
will be spending a lot of time in their room. We
live in the single most beautiful campus in the
country. What the hell are you doing in your
room? Bedrooms are for sleeping. Save 800 a
quarter by moving into a double. As doubles
become available, try it out. Youve always got
the living room.
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Online Music
Have you checked out the iTunes community at
Kresge. Some pretty cool stuff. Plus,
those-in-the-know know how to share music legally
within the University network. http//resnet.ucsc.
edu/music-sources/ High speed access is also
great for online radio stations, like our own
KZSC. http//www.kzsc.org/
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Consolidate Loans ASAP
Left unpaid or neglected, your student loans can
cost thousands of dollars. You might have
already started your college education, but keep
track of those loans. There is an entire
industry centered on defaulted loans and pushing
up guaranteed interest rates.
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Desktop or Laptop
Laptops have finally outsold desktops.
Why? Laptops use less energy, space and
resources (like plastic and glass). They can
also cost less. Get a wireless card and surf the
internet from almost anywhere at Kresge. Kresge
has 14 access points. Get a sturdy security
cable and make sure you back up your computer.
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Do a Budget?
Okay. Maybe you dont need to do a budget, but
where is your money going? If you use online
financial services, you can lookup what your big
expenses are. Like IKEA? Amazon? Online
shopping amongst college students increases 10
every year.
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Cell Phones at UC Santa Cruz
Have you noticed you dont even get a signal in
your apartment? So why are you standing in
meadow looking for a signal. The cost of the
average two-year cell phone plan (phone not
included) 1500. You have a free phone line
with voicemail in your room. In case of an
emergency, you can always borrow someones phone.
In an earthquake, all cells will be useless.
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Reduce Smoking.
The cost of smoking to the casual smoker (4 or 5
times daily) is 20/week in lost productivity,
poorer health and (dont forget) the cost of
cigarettes. For heavy smokers, the costs are
exponentially higher. Oh, by the way, marijuana
smoke (puff for puff) is 50X more carcinogenic
than tobacco smoke.
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Volunteer
Students who volunteer their time and energy are
more likely to do better in their classes. They
also spend less money on unnecessary things.
Less time to shop. They also have a great resume
builder and are more likely to get paid positions
from networking as a volunteer.
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Reuse your paper
Whats wrong with the back of that sheet you just
printed on your new laser printer. Put a light X
on it and submit it as a paper. Most faculty
love recyclers. Proof that you actually had a
first draft cant hurt, either.
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School books
There are more theories on how to buy college
books than there are at books at McHenry Library.
If you buy before the class begins, look
online for used or discounted copies. If you buy
after the class begins (and you cant find used
copies), wait and buy books as you need
them. Speaking of McHenry, all class books are
available on reserve.
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Bring a bag
Bring a canvas bag when you shop. Local
retailers love it. They might even give you a
discount. Also, you might spend less if you can
only fit it in the bag(s) you brought.
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Practical Arts Crafts
Reuse magazines, household containers, light
furniture and create useful pieces of art or
crap with a purpose. Paperweights, Pen Cups,
Picture Frames, Lamp Shades can take only minutes
to make, but can be a great way of spending time
with friends. You can make a cheap decoupage
with glue and water.
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Fallacy of Coupons
Coupons get you to buy things (or the amount of
things) that you were never going to buy in the
first place. That goes doubly so for coupons for
restaurants. That goes quadruply so for coupon
books for restaurants. If you are going to use
coupons, buy the smallest, cheapest thing. That
increases the savings.
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Quarters at Kresge
The best place to get quarter is your bank. But
thats in Oxnard, so what are you going to do?
The Kresge Front Office will exchange four
quarters for a greenback, but that wont do a
load of laundry. The copy room on the 2nd floor
of McHenry Library has a change machine. Dont
use more than 5 bill or it will give you dollar
coins. Baytree also has quarters, but that is
further than the library. Porter has a machine,
but its always broken.
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Dishes, Pots Pans
The single biggest reason you need an Apartment
Living Agreement (ALA) is currently sitting in
your kitchen sink. And its only been 10 days
since move-in. What are you going to do in
February when youve run out of paper plates. Do
your dishes as soon as you use them. Letting
dishes sit for just 2 hours uses 2X the water, 3X
the soap and takes almost 4X as long to wash.
Your housemates will love you.
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Hailing a Cab in Santa Cruz
Just missed the last bus up the hill (the 2 a.m.
16 Night Owl on weekday mornings or the 225
a.m. 16 Night Owl on weekend mornings), Yellow
Cab (475-0123), the only 24-hour taxi service,
takes credit cards. The average cost for a
single passenger is 8 Add 2 for each additional
person.
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Campus Maps
The best 5 you can spend at the bookstore is on
a full-color map. But you can see it for free
online. Plus other resources like hiking trails,
directions to destinations. http//maps.ucsc.edu
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Biking, Scooting, Skating
Before you go out and buy a 400 mountain bike
and hang it in your bathroom, try borrowing
someone elses for a few days. If you like it,
there are 30 bike shops in Santa Cruz and most
feature used bikes that appeal to any budget.
The more expensive bike, the more expensive the
bike lock. Use the bike coop! http//bikecoop.ucsc
.edu/ All e-bikes and scooters are prohibited on
ALL walkways, paths and trails at UCSC.
Skateboarding is not permitted at UCSC.
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Dont Miss Class or Section
The cost in student fees of missing a single
class is about 55. Add in the cost of room
board, books, loss of wages, the cost skyrockets
to almost 125. Get a good alarm clock.
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Housesit or Walk a Dog
Tired of youre housemates snoring? Get in cozy
with a staff or faculty member. The university
gives out vacation time like its going out of
style. Free laundry and premium cable awaits
those who can water a plant or walk a dog.
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Free Magazines
Check out the recycling bin at the Kresge
Mailroom. Dont be afraid to dig in there. The
two-week old copy of People isnt going to
bite. In years past, residents have placed
their used magazines in the bin after theyve
read them. There is also a similar bin in the
Kresge East R14 Lounge.
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Turn off the TV, Video Game
The quickest way to the Honor Roll is through the
library, not through your Playstation. Get Tivo.
If youve missed more than one class because of
Ricki Lake or Roller Coaster Tycoon, you have a
problem. Take the TV or Console home.
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Kresge Laundry Rooms
At 1.50/ per load, you cant beat the price.
Also, if you lose your money, you can go to the
College Office for a refund. Machine needs
maintenance? Call WEB 1-800-421-6897. Reduce
your laundry costs by throwing in a sweater (or
other slightly dirty items) into the dryer with
your load. The rest of the load will dry faster
and your sweater will be refreshened. Why?
Industrial dryers kill about 95 of the bacteria
that causes clothing to smell.
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Go to CA Events
Your Community Assistant will hold many free
events for you and your neighbors throughout the
quarter. Many of these will feature free food
and fun, but more importantly they will give you
and opportunity to get to know your fellow Kresge
residents. Also, theyll give you an opportunity
to find out about other events going on in the
community.
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A copy of this presentation
Soon, this will be posted to the Kresge website,
but you can download it now from. http//people.u
csc.edu/cdperry/
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