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I have no financial sense whatsoever! I couldn’t care less about a 401(k), stocks, interest rates and investment plans. All those major financial things scare the bejeesus out of me and I know one day I’m going to end up walking up to my aunt, who for all intents and purposes is an accountant, handing her a bunch of scary looking forms and saying, “Help me! Please! The only thing I know about money is that I need it!”

But as for right now, I’m in college, and the money thing can get no simpler. I’m the kind of person that brings their laundry home to do it because that way they don’t have to waste a buck-fifty on it. If I have five dollars in my pocket by the end of the week I consider myself lucky. I act like Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry McGuire if I find a rogue dollar in my jacket pocket and I nearly had a coronary the day I was cleaning out a basket of magazines and found a hundred dollar bill.

So, although I don’t know a whole lot about money, I know it is important. I have learned a few interesting ways to get and keep it. I’ll share them with you now.

Get a Job

Yes, I know part-time jobs are horrible. They take up free time which we have very little of and usually require us to do things we don’t always like for minimum wage. They are, however, a great source of money and there are plenty of places around to work. Try the local mall or any one of the restaurants or local businesses located near the College.

Or, if you don’t have a car, you can always work on campus. What, you think those people in the bookstore or the computer labs or the information desks are robots? If you’re good at a certain school-type thing, you can be a tutor. If you like sports, you can apply to be a scorekeeper. If you have a favorite secretary who you believe to need some help, you can apply to be an office assistant. For The College of New Jersey students, check out the Career Services Web site for job openings on campus. (www.tcnj.edu/~career/student_employment.html). But then, you already knew that, didn’t you?

Fun Financial Forms

There’s nothing I like better than filling out a FAFSA form. For those of you who are new to the game, the acronym FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. However, it isn't as easy as it sounds. They only want to lull you into a false sense of security so that when you are suddenly faced with THE scariest form you have ever seen in your young life, they can rush in, siphon off a few quarts of blood and bop you on the head for good measure. The United States Department of Education Web site (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) offers some guidance in filling out the FAFSA and provides a list of documents you must include. For example, you must include W-2 forms, income tax returns, bank statements, mortgage information, annual income, stocks and bond information. Personally, I think the Web site should open with a flash segment of fire and brimstone reading: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” but it does have one good feature. The Web site allows you to fill out your FAFSA online and save it, so that you can access it when you re-apply. Seek help from the people in the Office of Student Financial Assistance if you are really in trouble or just can’t seem to find the answer to a certain question. And don't forget to bring some coffee to your computer desk. It may take a while.

Moving right along, we have to our right Student Loans and Scholarships. The college has a whole Web site dedicated to loans: (www.tcnj.edu/~osfa/index.htm). Banks also offer loan programs so check with your local financial institution if you are in the market for one.

But as for scholarships, free money is free money, so go ahead and apply. Every little bit helps and scholarships are worth the effort. Scholarships are everywhere; check your parents' companies or even your old high school. You can also search the Internet. You don’t need to hire someone to find scholarships for you. All you need is some time and a computer with an Internet connection. For example, a quick Google search comes up with a bunch of different sites that do free scholarship searches. In a weird kind of way I enjoyed scholarship hunting; it was a way to ferret out free money from all the corners of the world. And when you’re a college student, free money is like the Holy Grail.

Be Creative!

As I mentioned before, searching your pockets can result in finding a dollar or two, but that usually isn't enough. Here are some tricks I’ve picked up to keep my precarious balance in the branches of the money tree.

Enter into a contest. It may be the extra push you need to earn a bit more money! There are enough out there to suit everybody and anybody’s talents.

The best way I have found to have money is to keep what you already have. Keep the birthday and holiday money that you receive. Save it for something important or just something you really want to do. Think about how much you are spending before you do it or spend it. Don’t buy things you can borrow, such as books, CDs or movies. When you do shop, don’t grab the first thing you see, do a little price checking or wait until what you want goes on sale. Rent movies with friends instead of going to see them. Also, use the school equipment whenever possible. Don’t buy ink and paper for you computer, print things out in the computer labs. Eat on campus most of the time, that’s what meal plans are for. Sell books to friends who will be taking the same class later on; you both may save money that way. If you like your room decorated, use inexpensive tablecloths as curtains. Use placemats as doilies and take calendars apart for posters. There are tons of ways to keep your money or use as little of the money you have as possible. Be creative, it can be fun.

So that’s it. I may not be a financial wizard but I’ve learned how to make ends meet. Get a job. Fill out the time consuming forms. Take your parents' advice and money when they offer it. Enter contests. Think before you spend. And remember, spend creatively, and the gods of fortune will smile on you.