Back to School

Heading back to school means seeing old friends, having new challenges and spending money on rent, books, necessities and all those unpredictable expenses to get through school.

Students should definitely consider the on campus job board – not just for businesses who are close to campus, but for positions on campus – working for various departments or via on-campus amenities such as the restaurants or multi-use facilities which may need students for security, service or organizational work on a part-time or casual basis.

University or college is completely different from highschool – the expectations are high, the costs are high and the distractions are many.

Add in moving to a new city and living in a dorm, all this change can prove too much to handle.So where to turn for help? Friends and family are definitely always there, but if you're trying to find a sympathetic resource with a click of the mouse, iCopeU has been created for you in mind.

The site features a series of videos and games to test your knowledge of mental health issues and offer up support and information.

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for RW&CO.'s autumn advertising. Something about those gorgeous couples lounging around outdoors in stylish but cosy garb (always clean, never with rogue leaves clinging to the sweaters) makes me want to shop there.

If you've never ventured into RW&CO., I'd describe the prices as mid-range and the style as professional n' pretty. It carries clothing for both men and women.

Now is a great time to check it out because until September 6, RW&CO. is offering 20% off a minimum $85 purchase. The discount cannot be combined with other offers, nor can it be used to purchase gift cards.

WalletPop doesn't usually promote specific financial companies, but today we're making an exception. American Express in conjunction with personal finance expert Jean Chatzky is sponsoring a National Money Talk Night on Thursday, September 16th 2010 to help tweens, teens and young adults get a better understanding of managing their finances independently.

As Chatzky points out in the introductory video, parents tend to have the sex talk and the drug talk with their kids, but few have the Money talk, and in these hard economic times, it's more important than ever to turn out financially literate kids.

I had a good look at the materials provided at the Money Night Talk website, and found them to be just as relevant to Canadian families as American, with just a few exceptions. At the website, parents can download and view available resources and ask as many questions as possible. Then, on September 16th, it's time to sit down with your kids and have the somewhat dreaded Money Talk.

The tip sheets are organized into three categories: middle school, high school and college, with excellent, age-appropriate advice for each group. Obviously American Express wants to get parents and their kids using their financial products, but the fact is, this is one talk parents tend to put off. And if this initiative helps some families have it, then we're happy to promote it on WalletPop Canada.

Have a look and plan to have a chat soon, even if it's not on Sept 16, which frankly is a little late for students heading off to uni this weekend.

Parents who lack self control when it comes to dressing up their munchkins might want to sprint over to Gymboree this weekend. The baby and kidswear shop is having a Fill-a-Bag sale from now through Labour Day.

Simply fill a bag as carefully or impulsively as you like and 30% will be discounted at the register.

To locate a Gymboree, click here.

Dose.ca and The National Post are offering up a free 15-song new music download just in time for back to school.

There are a few bands in this mix that have been garnering a lot of buzz, including Crystal Castles, Tokyo Police Club and Arcade Fire, so it may be a good one. The download is available until October 31, 2010.

To download the playlist, click here.

And while you're at it, check out these other free music downloads I've blogged about in the past.

As a student, it's a rite of passage to live in an apartment that smells suspiciously like a thrift store. After all, eating Kraft Dinner straight from the pot at a kitchen table that was made within the last two decades just wouldn't feel right.

Knowing that students will continue to rely upon thrift stores as long as tuition fees continue to nearly bankrupt anyone who wasn't to the manor born, The Salvation Army is offering 20% off everything (except new merchandise like pillows, mattresses or paint) for the entire month of September.

All you have to do is show a valid student I.D.

To locate your nearest Salvation Army Thrift Store, click here.

Back to School time is generally pretty straight forward: get the supplies, pack the lunches, get the kids in the car and off to school, but there is a variable that will always be beyond a parent's control -- the computer. Safe use websites call it the door that's not locked, with good reason. It's very hard to really know what threatens your kids online because the threat can exist from behind a monitor anywhere. How can you protect your kids from something you can't see? From cyber-bullying to scams and fraud. We've got five commandments for safe surfing this year.

Never share your personal information (name, address, phone number, family members names, credit card numbers etc.) This one depends on the age of the child, but in all cases pre-teens and teens possess a lack of ability to see around corners to varying degrees, so they're probably unable to see the potential consequences of publishing their details or blabbing their password. (even to their best friend) They need to learn that everything they do online is public and even with website security settings at the maximum, they cannot be trusted to stay that way. Facebook has already been under fire for their lackadaisical security measures and on repeated log-ins, we're speaking from experience when we say the settings never seem to stay where you put them, or something in the system changes and you must reset your standards. It's just generally easier to have a ban on personal information for your kids. Also let them know that no person or company would ask for this information in an e-mail or online and if they do, it's an instant red flag.

Think carefully when creating user names and passwords Internet security experts recommend using a combination of numbers and letters for both your user name and password, along with using a separate user name for chat rooms and programs. That way it makes it harder for the other party in the conversation to track your child down if you enter into a discussion that makes them uncomfortable and they want to leave. It's also good to set up "invitation only" chat that only their friends can join and please encourage them to clean out their instant messenger list or friend list every so often of people they no longer remember or communicate with.

• If your child is begging for a high-end gaming machine, you may want to manage those expectations. Gaming will limit your choice of computer, as it consumes loads of power and produces prodigious amounts of heat, neither of which is suitable for laptops. A top-of-the line graphics card can cost $500, so gaming drives up cost. And you may want to consider whether you want to invest money in encouraging your child to spend time playing games instead of studying.
• Laptops have dropped dramatically in price and overtaken desktop sales. But portability, the biggest benefit of laptops, makes monitoring your child's computer use a challenge. It's easier to set up a desktop in a spot where it's easy to monitor what your child is doing.

A desktop still gives the best bang for your buck and memory and hard drives are relatively easy to change if you need to upgrade. Flat screens now dominate the market and a new one will set you back $100-$300 when bought separately from a computer system. The old cathode ray tube (CRT) behemoths are now almost impossible to buy. But if you're on a small budget, CRTs and old desktop systems alike can often be obtained cost-free through such resources as Freecycle.

I've bought many things over the internet and have always been satisfied with the result. Cameras, laptops, books, perfume, furniture, you name it, I've found it cheaper somewhere on the internet. Not only do customer reviews help us decide what to buy and who to buy it from but we also save lots of time by removing the need to spend a day -- or days -- driving around to numerous stores to check their goods.

So it's no surprise that more and more Canadian parents are turning to the internet this summer to prepare to send the kiddies back to school. A July survey by Visa Canada found that the number of people expecting to shop online this back-to-school shopping season is up by 7%. The survey also showed that shoppers plan to spend an average $621 between July and Labour Day, with men on average likely to spend a little more than the women. One can only guess that this is because men, generally, like to spend less time shopping in stores.