Happy shopping to you!

One of the biggest drawbacks to being an adult student is that it always seems that you're broke. Here are a few inexpensive activities you can do with your family without breaking the bank. At least until you have to buy that new biology textbook for the upcoming semester!

Check out second run theatres. These feature movies that may have recently come out on DVD, but at least you and your family will get the big screen experience on the cheap. Admission is typically less than half what you'd pay for a regular theatre, and even the concession stands are likely cheaper too. Another movie option is to attend a matinee screening, which will also save you money, albeit not to the extent that a second run theatre would. Many local parks and recreation departments offer free family movies in the summer, sometimes they even show movies at the local community pool. Great fun for the kids.

Another family fun night out is going to an arcade or pizza place with arcade games. Some pizza places specialize in arcade games and family fun combined such as the chain that features a very large rodent. If you don't mind a lot of noice and screaming kiddies, this is an option for you to feed the kids and entertain them at the same time.

How about taking the family to a local sports game? Minor league, college and even high school games are very exciting, and cost a fraction of what it would cost to take in a big-league game.  There's nothing like rooting for the home team, is there?

How about some bowling? Kids love to bowl, and local alleys have specials when they are less crowded. In most alleys you can get snacks such as pizza and hamburgers as well. At least you'll get a bit of exercise with your cheeseburger!

Let's not forget the arts. Many communities have free concerts in the park in the spring and summer months. Bring a  blanket and your goodies to snack on if you're allowed to at the location. Some places have well known name bands and singers appear at these events. Local art galleries are another great source of learning and entertainment and may even offer low-cost art classes for children. Check with your local newspaper and parks and recreation departments to see if they have any free concert  or gallery offerings.

Don't forget your local high school's drama department for some great low-cost entertainment. Kids love plays especially musicals. Why not treat the kids to some local entertainment as the admission costs are usually quite low and and you never know--you might see some talent that will one day take Hollywood or Broadway by storm.

So don't stay home yet another night. Give yourself and the kids a break and attend some of these inexpensive events. A change in scenery will refresh your mind make you a better back to school mom (or dad!)

First of all, the idea of electronic books is a great one. E-books save trees and the backs of students lugging those extra heavy backpacks. Kindle owners can download most new books at a price of $9.99 which is a considerable savings from new hardbook releases. Unfortuately, the large size of textbooks is not very compatible with the design of the Kindle. To accomodate the larger size of textbooks, the Kindle DX is the recommended device. Naturally, the larger size screen of the Kindle DX (9.7 inches vs. 6 inches for the Kindle 2) brings with it a larger price tag as well. The DX version of the Kindle sells for $489, which is not an inexpensive investment for the college student. It does, however, have the capacity to store up to 3500 books.

But one obstacle that the Kindle has not overcome yet is that it does not yet have color capacity--all type and pictures are reproduced in grey scale. While this is not a problem for a novel for your English class, it is a definite drawback for science classes. Can you imagine trying to study musculature for your anatomy class when everything is rendered in gray?

So while the Kindle is an idea whose time has come, I would not purchase one with the intention of downloading textbooks just yet. A $489 price tag for the DX model is still very pricey, and I am willing to bet that within the next year or so more improvements such as the ability to render pages in color will come to the technology. I would wait on these improvements and further drops in price before I would invest in the Kindle.

If you are interested in e-textbook options, or options for cheaper textbooks in general, please see my earlier posts on textbooks options, here and here.

With the economy in the chaotic state it is, everyone is looking to strech their dollars a little further. One option for back-to-school moms to reduce clothing expenses is to consider doing some shopping at thrift stores. Especially for babies and pre-schoolers, the thrift shop option is one that makes total sense. Kids this age grow out of their clothing long before they can ever wear it out, and you can get some really cute outfits at rock-bottom prices. Often, you can even find clothing for this age group with the tags still attached, never worn.

Often, you can find one-of-a-kind children's clothing items in your local thrift stores. Affluent shoppers frequently donate brand-name items of excellent quality to charity that end up in your local thrift store. Speaking of charity, that is another great reason to patronize your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other local philanthropic organization's thrift store. The profits from these stores are ploughed back into programs and projects that directly aid others.

Baby necessities such as change tables, mobiles, monitors and more can also be found very reasonably priced at thrift stores. A word of caution about buying some baby equipment at the thrift store: don't buy items such as car seats or cribs without making sure that the models offered meet current safety requirements. If you are interested in a piece of equipment for sale, see if you can find the manufacturer's label and check if there have been any safety recalls on the product. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a database of infant and child product recalls by date.

And don't forget yourself, Mom. You can find yourself some great bargain clothing at your local thrift shop. When you are a student, shopping for clothing for yourself is often a long way down on your list of priorities. By buying vintage clothing, you can get several great outfits at less cost than an single one at a department store.

Lastly, another great reason to shop at thrift stores is that it is so environmentally-friendly. By re-using and recycling clothes, we prevent pesticides being sprayed to protect crops such as cotton, and subsequently being released into our air and water. We also are saving the environmental costs of goods being shipped long-distance from other countries.

What are your experiences with thrift-shop shopping? Have you found some great deals? Let other back-to-school moms in on your great buys by commenting below.

The grand prize winner will win $5000,  the 2nd place winner will receive $2000 and the 3rd  place winner will receive $1000. In addition, eight semi-finalists will win $250.

So get ready for your close up to win.

College expenses have exploded, and show no sign of letting up. Tuition is astronomical; textbooks are outrageous. To survive as a college student, you need to quickly figure out how you can get the best bang for your buck. Here are a few tips to shave some dollars off of your college expenses.

• Check out used books. There are some great online sites that sell used textbooks. Find the ISBN for the textbook you need at your college's bookstore site, then plug that ISBN into the search function of the online used textbook site. It will pull up all the textbooks listed on the site so you can compare the price and condition of the books before purchasing. You can also sell your used textbooks back at these sites at a better price than you would receive at your college's bookstore.
• Stick to a daily budget. You can go broke fast ordering $5.00 cups of coffee at Starbucks. Brew your own in your dorm room and invest in a thermos.
• Always apply for financial aid no matter what your financial circumstance is. Even if you don't think you'll qualify, do ahead and apply anyway. You might be very pleasantly surprised at what you could receive. Every bit of financial aid can reduce your college expenses.
• Search for scholarships outside your college.
• See if local stores will offer you a discount for showing your student ID card. Even 10% off your purchases adds up quickly.
• Avoid using credit cards for purchases. Debit cards are just as convenient, and you won't have to worry about accruing a bunch of interest that is very difficult to pay off.
• Share textbooks with friends. If you are enrolled in the same program as a friend is, plan your courses so one of you can use a textbook one semester, and the other use it the next semester.
• Park your car and buy a bus pass. Some colleges with limited parking may even subsidize your bus pass.

These are just a few ideas to help make college a less painful financial experience. Spend wisely,  live frugally, and you'll graduate with less debt to pay back.

This might be a good opportunity to plan that camping trip with the kids. Fresh air+roasted marshmallows+campfires=great memories & happy families. A great little inexpensive mini-vacation for moms, dads and kids alike.

Here is a link to an L.A. Times article that outlines more details about the free weekends:

http://tiny.cc/m4qaS