Finding Cheap Textbooks

College kids are back on campus and this week they’ll begin their search for those pricey textbooks.

 

The average college student can spend $900 annually on textbooks. That’s a lot of money out of their wallets or more importantly out of their parent’s wallets.

 

But thanks to the Internet, you no longer have to buy your books at the campus bookstore and it can save you a lot of money.

 

To begin your textbook search, check out BestBookBuys.com.

It’s a comparison shopping site that searches the Internet for dozens of textbook sites and thousands of independent sellers.

 

Another option for college kids is switching from a hardbound book to an electronic one. CourseSmart.com sells legal subscriptions to digital copies of textbooks and other course materials.

 

If you do buy books online, make sure to compare the prices.

Use the sites listed below.

Bigwords.com

CheapestTextbooks.com

CafeScribe.com

Booksprice.com

Half.com

 

Have you heard of textbook rentals? The sites listed below let students pay as little as a third of a book’s price to borrow it for a set period – usually a semester.

Chegg.com

BookRenter.com

CampusBookRentals

 

Also keep in mind the same sites selling used textbooks will more than likely buy your books back at the end of the semester.

Great American Health Challenge

It’s Health & Fitness FRIDAY!

 

First, it’s great news that it’s Friday, YAY! I am so happy when the weekend rolls around.  I also love Fridays because I switch gears and feature an on-air story related to health and fitness.

 

This week it’s all about reducing your risk of cancer.

Of course, leading a healthy lifestyle is a major part of winning the battle against cancer.

 

Especially since the American Cancer Society shows that one-third of the more than half a million cancer deaths expected this year are attributed to poor nutrition, lack of physical activity and obesity. That is a scary statistic!

 

In addition, part of that study also revealed that 83%of Americans understand that eating right and physical activity can help reduce their risk of cancer but aren’t taking any action.

 

That’s where the American Cancer Society hopes to step in.

They’ve created the Great American Health Challenge, a program designed to educate people on how to reduce their risk of cancer through eating right and exercising.

 

Now under that program it’s broken down into four subcategories.

First, the Great American Health Check.

This section is devoted to educating America on knowing what type of cancer screenings are appropriate based on age, gender and genetics.

 

The second category is the Great American Get Active Challenge.

Under this category the site provides tools on how you can stay active based on your lifestyle because regular physical activity can significantly lower your lifetime risk for cancer.

 

There’s also the Eat Right Challenge. This section is packed full of information on the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet. You’ll find Healthy in a Hurry Parent’s Guide with 30-minute recipes and no-time-to-cook meals. As well as information on appropriate portion size.   

 

The site is all about improving the current healthy statistics in Pittsburgh and across the country.

 

It’s free to sign up for the Great American Health Challenge and you can do it on your own or sign up as part of a team with your entire family, friends or co-workers.

DoggySpace

A new social networking site is getting a lot of howls! You could say the site has gone to the dogs

Ok enough with the cheesy jokes. Doggyspace.com is the canine equivalent to MySpace.

Think of it as a crossbreed between MySpace and YouTube where you can create a profile, upload pictures and videos of your pets and meet other doggy friends.

Sites like Doggyspace are growing in popularity. They go far beyond traditional message boards and focus on more specific topics and interests , in this case people’s pets.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great idea, but I want the site to include other family pets. I

don’t own a dog so seriously could I get a KittySpace???

(My Moo and Jack)

Make Money By Working From Home

Would you like to make some extra money? Ever thought about working from home?

 

I know you may be worried about getting scammed, right? Believe it or not there are plenty of real opportunities out there for you to earn cash without leaving the comfort of your own home.

 

Tory Johnson, the workplace contributor on Good Morning America, has a new book and concept– Earn the Cash without the Commute.

 

The stay at home/work from home jobs Tory talks about can be for retirees, the stay at home moms looking to supplement their families’ income, even professionals with full-time jobs who are just looking to cope with rising costs. 

 

Tory says it’s really about finding a job that you will want to do, something that appeals to your interests, hobbies or special skills.

 

There are all kinds of “work from home jobs,” but some of the major categories include:

 

Virtual Customer Service: These jobs require you to answer inbound calls to retailers, online stores, airlines, etc.  The work load can range between 20-30 hours a week at $8-$15 an hour. All you need is a computer, a landline, high speed internet and a quiet work area.

 

Direct Sales: There are hundreds of categories beyond just Mary Kay and Avon. For example, there are companies like Silpada, Taste of Home, even Southern Living opportunities. The hours for these types of jobs vary. The income averages out to a couple hundred dollars a month.

 

Expand Your Expertise: If you have a craft or hobby, sell it online to a global market at sites like etsy.com.

 

But remember if a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When a website promises big bucks with no skills or effort needed, it is almost always a scam.  Also before you get involved with a company make sure you have had all of your questions answered by someone. You want to make sure you can talk to an actual person via phone or by email.

 

For additional information and resources about working from home CLICK HERE.

WebVet & Best Places Online To Buy Electronics

WebVet

These days we turn to the web to do just about everything, shop, buy groceries, take classes and find out information about what ails us, whether it’s a headache, back pain or an ear infection.

 

There are already sites like Web MD that can answer many of our medical questions, but now the site is venturing out to include another breed—your furry friends.

 

Instead of Googling your pets symptoms, now there’s WebVet, the WebMD for your pets. The new site that launches today will provide users with a comprehensive collection of articles regarding pet health.

 

The two main components of the site are medical information and featured articles. The medical information covers all pet diseases and sicknesses include common symptoms of each. The featured articles, which are written exclusively for WebVet, cover not only health issues but also topics like gifts, pet fashion, pet hotels and travel tips for pets.

 

For right now the site is focusing on dogs, cats, bird and other small animals, but the founders hope to expand the coverage to include exotics, fish and farm animals.

 

Best Places Online To Buy Electronics

No single retailer has it all–the best prices, selection, product quality, and customer service; but there are some stores that rank higher than others when it comes to buying electronics. 

 

Consumer Reports did some research and found a couple retail outlets that come pretty close to being perfect. Crutchfield.com and Amazon.com received the top ratings from consumers according to Consumer Reports.

 

For those not familiar with the Crutchfield.com, it’s an online retailer that specializes specifically in electronics.

 

But both Web sites stood out for quality when it comes to providing additional online tools to help in the buying process. You’ll find online guides and plenty of additional articles to help educate you before you make a purchase.

 

These two sites also make returning items a breeze, along with having outstanding customer service. Crutchfield actually has real people standing by for you to talk to, not some automated computer system.