School on a Budget...

Going to school these days can be quite expensive. Sure, there are student loans to help you through, but then you are left with a pretty big debt to pay when you finish. One of the aspects of college that has always boggled my mind is the cost of books. Most textbooks average around $100 per book which can really add up when you are taking 3 or 4 classes! I've found a great option for students who don't want to drop all that money on a book that they may never use again. It's a company called CampusBookRentals.com.

They offer the option to rent the textbook you need for the duration of the semester and then return it when you are through for typically less than half of what you might pay for the book outright. They even have a textbook buy back service which I might try and utilize since I missed the buy back period last semester at my school. I was a bit worried about shipping for all those books but found on their site that they offer FREE shipping both ways! It's hard to see how you would lose by using them rather than buying your books. I know this coming semester I will definitely be using their site to rent my books.

When I visited the site to see what they offered, I was also really impressed to see that they support the Operation Smile program which provides cleft lip surgeries for children whose families cannot afford the expensive procedures.

For every book rented, a portion of the proceeds goes to this program. CampusBookRentals.com has set a goal to provide 1000 life changing surgeries for these kids. Awesome. So if you are a student and want to save some money as well as contribute to something as cool as Operation Smile, I would suggest checking out CampusBookRentals.com.

Good News - Bad News - No News......

So they say that no news is good news right? Except of course when you are waiting for money from the IRS....no news means "you aint gettin any". This only means we are still broke, and that certainly is old news. Other than that, we are getting ready to leave for our trip to Kentucky. We are leaving tomorrow and of course I have nothing packed. I havent even made a "trip list" yet. I will be making this list immediately following this post. We will be gone for 8 days and I can pretty much guarantee you that I will not be posting anything during that time however, you can expect a full report with slideshow the day after we return....maybe even the night of if I'm up for it. The kids can hardly wait....and I am just as excited to be traveling with 4 children by car and by plane, not. We are driving to Las Vegas (6 hours) then flying to Detroit, Michigan (3 hours), then driving to Drift, Kentucky (another 6 hours). All of this with 4 kids. Then repeating the scenario coming home. Lord help us. Oh, and just to make the trip even more fun, we have been volunteered to speak in church that Sunday in Kentucky. Good times.

Ok, If I have time before I leave, I will document, in film, Addison's new and amazing skill. She has taught herself how to sommersault. Im not sure where she learned it although I have a feeling Evan had something to do with it. It is very cute to watch her do it over and over and over until she hits something. Then if she is in a really good mood (and not too injured from slamming into the couch or wall or table....), she will jump up and show you her dance spins. Very entertaining. I think Im going to enroll her in a gymnastics class when we return.....she seems to be a natural.

Now, I am going to go pack and clean and register my vehicle.....and probably pray for forgiveness for the hateful things I have said today about the IRS and other parties involved in taking my hard earned money.