Category: Personal Finance

Akilah Fields didn’t know what to expect while attending her first meet-and-greet event hosted by her local college alumni chapter.

At the time, she was in the the middle of relocating to Tampa, Florida, after living in Orlando for eight years. Fields, 26, wanted to see if going to the event could help her build her personal and professional networks in a new city. Her nerves started to jitter as she approached the group, but they calmed down once everyone started discussing college football and life around town.

“This is a great chance for me to still be connected to alma mater, grow, foster new connections and make some new memories outside of Orlando,” says Fields, a talent service coordinator with the Home Shopping Network and a University of Central Florida alumna.

College alumni networks host events year-round and provide a social backdrop for their members to expand their professional networks. These groups can also improve overall quality of life by making someone feel less lonely in a new environment. So if you’re looking for a new way to meet people, here’s why you should seek out your local college alumni group.

Find Your Local Group

In general, some schools have a national presence with alumni chapters across the country while others may have a more regional scope.

Derek Brunette, president of the Tampa Bay UCF Alumni Chapter, advises people to go on their university’s alumni association website to see if there is a chapter in your area. Once you locate one, sign up to receive email updates and join the club’s social media pages. At the next event, seek out a board member, introduce yourself and ask if there are ways to get involved. That will put you on the chapter’s radar when the opportunity to take on a volunteer role presents itself.

If you don’t think you want a big role right off the bat, take your time and get comfortable with the chapter. But the more you give, Brunette says, the more rewarding it can be.

“I feel like I have 15 new friends, connections through this commonality… with the board,” he says. “That’s been a great advantage. I think that’s probably been one of the biggest additives to being involved.”

Make a New City Feel Like Home

Over the last several years, Cassidy Harpster has been on the move. As a software developer, he’s bounced around from city to city trying to advance his career. He spent about three years in Washington D.C. and about a year in Tampa before landing in New York City four months ago. As a proud Knight, he seeks out places where the local UCF chapter hosts watch parties for sports.

He says there’s a sense of camaraderie in being a part of an alumni chapter that’s far away from home.

“For a lot of people, it can be pretty intimidating just trying to go out and build a whole new network of people, friends and things like that,” Harpster, 29, says. “So having the alumni group certainly helps.”

And what event brings the most alumni together? Football. Football watch parties can help replicate the excitement of being in the stadium cheering for your team.

For Fields, college football Saturdays are like personal holidays. While attending her first UCF watch party in Tampa in August, she was thrilled to be surrounded by more than 100 UCF fans cheering with every big catch and touchdown as her Knights decimated the University of Connecticut 56-17.

“Being around other people who feel the same way as me, that just means the world to me,” she says.

Be Yourself and Get Involved

While some people get involved with their local chapters to make friends and watch football with a big group of people, others go in with a strictly business approach. Brunette says if you choose to participate in your local alumni chapter, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons — specifically, that you’re passionate about your school and you want your local chapter to thrive. Your participation shouldn’t be just about promoting your business or career.

“I think people can sniff out immediately if people come in with ulterior motives or intentions for business first, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I think it provides a more genuine true opportunity if you establish yourself by giving back to the chapter and giving back to the alumni base first,” he says.

Once chapter members see your passion for your school, they’ll want to know more about you. That’s when you can say you’re looking for a new job. You never know if the person you’re talking to is hiring.

“I can think of three individuals that are in regional manager hiring positions who are actually actively looking to hire young alumni in the area,” he says. “So be yourself, show your passion and build those genuine connections.”

Meet Professionals Beyond Your Office

Victoria Price is a legislative assistant for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. She also volunteers as the vice president of communications for the Capital Area Gator Club, the alumni group for the University of Florida in Tallahassee, Florida. By attending alumni events, she’s able to meet people from different government offices, which can be beneficial when working in a state capital.  

“Being in government affairs, knowing that this person’s a Gator and they work for the Senate on the agriculture committee, that’s really good for me,” she says. “We already have something in common that is easy to kind of break the ice with if there’s something needed for work.”

But what if you’re looking to meet people outside of your industry? “I think what college groups offer that’s a little bit different from [other networking events] is the different types of people within them,” she says.

Much like bumping into people with different majors at the school quad, you’ll meet members from a variety of industries at these events. Price says that some of the people involved with her alumni club work in fields like government, engineering, accounting and real estate.

Who knows, maybe the person you meet at an event can lead to new business for your company. At the very least, they can be a new friend to cheer with when your team scores a go-ahead touchdown.

Matt Reinstetle is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Matt serves as the communications chair for the Tampa Bay UCF Alumni Chapter. It’s his way to give back and help grow his alma mater.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

All geared up for Halloween? Listen up, because this much-loved holiday just got a little bit better.

Chipotle’s bringing back its Boorito deal, offering $4 entrees to customers who show up in costume.

No tricks. Just delicious, corn salsa-filled treats.

How to Get a $4 Chipotle Boorito This Halloween

It’s super easy (and fun): Just show up to Chipotle in costume from 3 p.m. to close on Oct. 31.

You’ll be rewarded with a cheap, delicious dish.

Yes, Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year… but who doesn’t wear their costume to the office? And if you’re taking the kids trick-or-treating, this deal is a perfect, easy dinner.

Despite the promotion’s name, the Chipotle Boorito deal isn’t limited to burritos. Guests can get a bowl, salad or order of tacos for $4, too.

It excludes third-party delivery and catering orders, so you’ve got to actually walk your costumed self into the store.

The only scary part? You’ll probably still have to pay extra for guac.

No big deal, though, since you totally DIY’d your costume and decorations.

That’s why we hoard pennies, after all: Some things are just worth the splurge.

Jamie Cattanach’s writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

Before television and the internet, people often joined social clubs and fraternal orders to socialize and get involved in the community.

Some of those orders, like the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, also known as the Elks, are still an active part of society today.

The group created the Elks National Foundation, which invests in communities through a variety of programs and scholarship opportunities.

Every year, its Most Valuable Student scholarship program awards 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated high school seniors.

Scholarships range from $1,000 to $12,500 per year, for a total of $2.4 million.

Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship Details

There are two each of the first-, second- and third-place scholarships; 14 fourth-place awards; and 480 runners-up — all equally divided between male and female students.

The two first-place awards are for $50,000, or $12,500 per year; the two second-place awards are for $40,000, or $10,000 per year; the two third-place awards are for $30,000 or $7,500 per year; the 14 fourth-place awards are for $20,000 or $5,000 per year; the 480 runners-up will receive $4,000, or $1,000 per year.

To be eligible, you must be a high school senior, a U.S. citizen and have completed the ACT or SAT and plan on pursuing a four-year degree full time at an accredited U.S. university or college.

You do not have to be related to an Elks member to qualify. (Membership is open only to those 21 and older.)

The application process includes a report from your school counselor, a student aid report from your completed FAFSA (federal student aid application) and a resume that includes information about community service, extracurricular activities, honors, awards and jobs.

Last, you will have to write a 300-word essay on this topic: “Using one of the leadership roles or extracurricular activities you prioritized as being important to you, describe what impact the experience had on you, what you contributed, what you learned about yourself, and how it has influenced your plans for the future.”

The applicant is responsible for ensuring all required documentation is included.

Students will be judged on financial need, academics, community involvement and leadership.

Applicants must advance through local, district and state levels to reach the national competition.

The top 20 finalists will interview with national judges during an all-expense-paid, mandatory leadership weekend in Chicago from April 11 to 14, 2019.

To apply, visit the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship page and follow the “apply now” link.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 15, 2018.

If you don’t meet the eligibility requirements for this scholarship, check out our list of 100 scholarships that will help you pay for college.

Or you can like The Penny Hoarder Life on Facebook to discover other scholarship opportunities.

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Shuffleboard is her social club of choice.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

Is your biggest Halloween fear that you somehow won’t find quite enough sugar this year?

Calm yourself: We’ve found a sweet solution.

Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut to folks in the holiday spirit this Halloween.

How to Get a Free Krispy Kreme Donut This Halloween

All you have to do is suit up in your Halloween costume and head over to your local Krispy Kreme on Wednesday, Oct. 31, to get a free donut.

Krispy Kreme goes all out for Halloween every year with a special collection of limited-time, Halloween-themed treats.

This year’s Halloween lineup includes two newbies: the Trick-or-Treat donut, a glazed donut dipped in salted caramel and covered in candy, and the Monster Batter donut, which is filled with cake batter and decorated with slime-green icing, monster eyes and candy confetti.

No purchase is necessary for this trick-free treat; however, the deal is only good at participating locations, so be sure to check with your local Krispy Kreme before suiting up.

Jamie Cattanach’s writing has been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

Oh smartphones, what can’t you do? I use mine for all sorts of things: making phone calls, taking photos, waking up in the morning, cashing checks, playing fantasy football and paying for coffee when I’m in a pinch.

But there’s one thing I don’t use my phone for — planning my day. Yes, smartphones have built-in calendars that can sync to your Google Drives and whatnot, but my phone calendar is fairly blank. For keeping track of my day, I prefer the old-fashioned method of using a pen to write in my daily paper planner.

I’m not alone in opting for the traditional daily planner (consider that you can still find people purchasing them each December at office supply stores). So if you’re looking to get more organized at work, here are some reasons to choose a paper planner.

No Need for Batteries

Jillian Chertok says when people need something done, they come to her because they know she’s going to remember to do it. As a public relations consultant juggling multiple clients, staying organized is vital. So whenever she has to write a press release or schedule a meeting, she jotts it down in her paper planner.

Chertok, 36, from Queens, New York, has used paper planners since college and plans to stick with them because of their reliability. With digital planners on computers or smartphone apps, there is always the possibility of your phone battery dying or being unable to connect to Wi-Fi.

“I know if I wrote it down it’s not going to disappear off the page,” she says. “I know with electronics there’s always a possibility something can happen, something could get deleted. My phone could fall into the toilet, and everything is gone.

“With writing it down, unless you lose it, it’s going to be there.”

(But whatever you do, don’t misplace your planner.)

The Act of Writing Can Help

For Tamara Roberts, it’s more difficult to remember important dates and information when she uses digital calendars; for some reason, the information doesn’t stick. But that’s not the case when she writes it down.

“I know when I type it into my phone a lot of times it’s almost a surprise when I see it on my calendar,” she says. “It’s definitely more defined in my mind when I write it on my paper planner.”

According to a study published in Psychological Science, college students who used pen and paper to take notes were able to retain more information during lectures than students using laptops.  

Roberts, 36, a realtor from Lakeland, Florida, started using paper planners in 2004 to keep track of everyone’s schedules while working for a staffing agency. Now she uses her planner to manage her work schedule and the schedules of six children.

Staying on Task

Kristen Herhold says she wouldn’t survive without her planner. As a senior content writer and marketer for the digital marketing company Clutch, she can’t let anything fall through the cracks when managing contributor content. She tried just using a Google Calendar but realized she wasn’t putting all of her tasks on it. Plus, it was easy for the calendar to get lost in a sea of browser tabs.

By writing tasks down in her paper planner, she says her duties feel more permanent and can’t be ignored.

“Anybody could walk by my desk and look at my planner because I just keep it open,” she says. “So I think it keeps me more accountable — where if I write something down, I need to do it. It’s just so much more permanent.

“You can’t erase ink, and if I don’t cross it off that week, then it’s pretty obvious I didn’t accomplish that.”

Unplug for a Little While

Sydnie Enyeart has a practical reason why she doesn’t like digital planners. “I’m a 911 dispatcher; I spend 12 hours a day in front of a computer screen, and I don’t want to do that when I get home,” she says.

Enyeart, 29, from Vero Beach, Florida, started using planners to keep track of her assignments in school but fell out of the habit. About five years ago, she reincorporated paper planners into her life, and now they serve two purposes.

The paper planner hasn’t just helped her stay organized — the act of entering important dates has become a hobby.

Enyeart uses planners that incorporate fun, colorful layouts that encourage creative expression. If she plans on attending a birthday party or if her nephew has a baseball game, for example, she’ll decorate the calendar space with stickers and color them in. That way it jumps out, giving her something fun to look forward to as the day approaches.

“It becomes your ‘me time’ to sit down and plan your week,” she says. “You sit there for an hour, plan it out, decorate it, and it becomes your hobby more than just merely function.”

Completing Tasks Is Much More Satisfying

After a long day at work, seeing every item on her to-do list crossed out is the best feeling, Chertok says. There’s something about rolling a ballpoint pen across a task that offers a great sense of accomplishment.

“I know people who will add something to a to-do list that they’ve already done just so they can cross it off,” she says. “I don’t go to those extremes, but when I’m able to cross things off my list and physically see with my own eyes that I was productive, it’s great.”

It’s a feeling that can’t be replicated by clicking a box on a digital to-do list. “I think it’s such a satisfying feeling, especially at the end of a week,” says Herhold. “Today is Friday, and my planner is almost all crossed out. It looks so messy, but it’s so great.”

Matt Reinstetle is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He also uses a paper planner and is looking forward to crossing out this assignment on his to-do list.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

Who says kids get to have all the fun on Halloween?

This year, there are a bunch of scary-good deals and freebies that will make the holiday a delight for kids of all ages.

So if you’re looking to fill your trick-or-treat bag with pizza, burritos, ice cream and more, get your Halloween costume ready and check out these sweet Halloween deals.

1. Applebee’s

Trick or drink! If you celebrate Halloween with cocktails, then stop by Applebee’s for some zombies — that’s a concoction of rum, pineapple, passion fruit, cherry and lime garnished with a gummy brain — for just $1 each.

2. Baskin-Robbins

You don’t have to scream for free ice cream this Halloween. As part of its Celebrate 31 promotion, all Baskin-Robbins customers can get a free scoop of any flavor ice cream for $1.50 on Oct. 31.

3. Bass Pro Shops

Round up the family and head over to a participating Bass Pro Shop location Oct. 31 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to join in on totally free activities like crafting, pumpkin tossing, photo ops, cookie decorating, trick-or-treating and a costume parade.

See the full schedule of events here.

4. Beef O’Brady’s

You can make sure the kiddos eat dinner before dessert when you head over to Beef O’Brady’s on Halloween. All costumed kids get a free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entree.

5. BJ’s Restaurant

If you want to add warm cookie smothered in ice cream to your buffet of Halloween treats, then head over to BJ’s Restaurant for $3 Pizookies. The offer is available for dine-in, takeout and delivery orders through Oct. 31.

6. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Praytino under Creative Commons

Run, Forrest, run… down to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to get a free kid’s meal on Halloween with the purchase of an adult entree. The offer is limited to one per table and is not valid with any other discount. Tax and gratuity are not included.

And for all of you “Forrest Gump” fans, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. has declared October “Forrest Gump Character Look-Alike Month.” This means you could win a $200 gift card if you share a photo of yourself dressed as one of the movie’s main characters before Nov. 1.  

7. BurgerFi

Whether you’re in the mood for something salty or sweet, you can get it for free at BurgerFi on Halloween. All you have to do is stop by in your costume to get a free small custard or free small fry.

8. Chipotle

Jason Epping under Creative Commons

Chipotle’s annual Boorito promotion is back! Grab a $4 burrito when you show up in costume on Halloween from 3 p.m. to close! Not a burrito fan? Don’t worry. You can get a bowl, salad or order of tacos instead!

And don’t forget to take a selfie in your Halloween costume while you’re there. You could win free burritos for a year if your share your photo on Instagram and tag @chipotle.

9. Chuck E. Cheese’s

Halloween is all fun and games with Chuck E. Cheese’s Chucktober celebration. Kids who come dressed to play — in their Halloween costumes, that is — any time during the month of October will each receive 50 free game tickets.

10. Cici’s Pizza

Before the kids start collecting treats for their Halloween candy buffets, treat them to a free kids buffet at Cici’s! The offer is available with the purchase of an adult buffet and a regular or large drink — just print or show this coupon. Limit one child per adult purchase, and the kiddo must be in costume.

11. IHOP

If you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids to pass the time before trick-or-treating, head over to your local IHOP any time between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Oct. 31. Kids 12 and under can create their own free scary-face pancake with strawberries, whipped topping, mini Oreo cookies and candy corn.

12. Joe’s Crab Shack

Get the kiddos decked out in their costumes and head down to your local Joe’s Crab Shack on Oct. 31 for up to three free kids meals when you show this flyer to your server. Make sure you go hungry, too — one adult entree purchase is required for each free kids meal.

13. Krispy Kreme

Scott Aleman under Creative Commons

Wear a costume and stop by a participating Krispy Kreme location to get a free donut of your choice on Oct. 31.

14. McAlister’s Deli

Participating McAlister’s Deli locations are giving away free kid meals to kids in costume on Halloween. The deal is available for dine-in orders only between 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. with the purchase of an adult entree. Limit two kid meals per adult entree.

15. Penn Station East Coast Subs

Have a little fun with this online hangman game that offers instant rewards for winners. All you have to do is complete the phrases to receive an instant reward, including BOGO coupons. No registration is required, and you can play once a day through Oct. 31, 2018.

16. Sonic

Calling all corn dog lovers! Snag a 50-cent corn dog all day on Halloween at Sonic locations, no costume necessary.

17. 99 Restaurant & Pub

99 Restaurant & Pub is offering all kiddos 10 and under a free kids entree with an adult entree purchase.

Happy Halloween, Penny Hoarders!

Kelly Gurnett is a freelance blogger, writer and editor who runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. Follow her on Twitter @CordeliaCallsIt. Editorial assistant Jessica Gray updated this post.

Jessica Gray is an editorial assistant at The Penny Hoarder. She updated this post for 2018.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.