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As your college student heads back to school, he probably wants to add a new cell phone to the list of items he’s packing. He wants the latest and greatest smart phone, with unlimited text and data plan, doesn’t he? And if he’s paying, that’s great.

If you’re paying, you probably want to do a little research to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Here are some things to consider:

• Family plans are usually the cheapest route — unless someone regularly exceeds minutes or text message limits.
• Before you sign a contract, make sure the service provider has coverage in the city where your student attends college.
• Find out if there are any discounts available through the college. Some providers offer discounts to students with a valid student ID. (Similarly, many providers offer discounts to the employees of large corporations.)
• Consider the area code that your student’s phone will have. Does it make sense to have an area code that is local to the college or to your hometown? Keep in mind the landlines you’ll use to call your student’s phone to make sure you don’t incur long-distance charges.

Once you’ve signed up for a plan, make sure your college student understands the limits on minutes, texting, and data usage. Also, watch for any ways to save on those limits. For example, you may want your son to call your cell phone instead of your home phone if cell-to-cell calls within a family plan don’t count against your monthly allotment of minutes.

Resources:

• Best Ways to Ditch Your Cell Phone Plan
• Changing carriers? The FCC explains your rights.

When decorating a freshman dorm room or a first apartment, think about how all of that stuff will fit into future dorm rooms or apartments. Don’t spend a fortune coordinating with a roommate. Do buy items that will last at least four years. Choose neutral colors for the more expensive items. Add splashes of color with duvet covers or pillows that can be updated — inexpensively — as needed.

Tips for Buying Furniture and Big Ticket Items
Consider durability and portability when buying furniture and décor for a college dorm or apartment. Make sure you buy items that are easy to pack and move at least four times in four years. Choose fabrics that won’t show dirt and are easy to clean. For beds, shelves, and dressers, choose items that dismantle easily and aren’t difficult to carry up stairs. This year’s apartment may not have stairs, but next year’s apartment very well could.

When decorating a small space, always consider functionality. Invest in items that can serve more than one purpose. For example, consider an ottoman that could serve as extra seating, as well as storage for books or blankets.

Dorms without carpet can be very cold. Carpet can be very expensive and often can’t be re-used if cut to fit a room. What’s the solution? Carpet remnants are often large enough to cover an entire dorm room and are a fraction of the full price of carpet. This is a great solution — especially if you aren’t picky about the color. If you buy carpet first, it will be easier to match items like duvet covers. Make sure you know the dimensions of the room before buying a remnant. Area rugs can also warm up a room. Search for bargains, and remember that  area rugs can be reused so it could be worth investing a little more into a rug than a remnant.

Tips for Making the Most of Small Spaces
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves will draw the eye upward, creating a sense of space — and providing much-needed storage space.

Use strategically placed mirrors to make a room appear larger and to better distribute light throughout the room.

Raised beds provide more room for storage underneath, and loft beds provide plenty of room for a desk and bookshelves below.

Allconnect can assist with your move, whether to a dorm, apartment or new home, by offering free mover quotes, an online change of address form, and help transferring your essential home services. You can also compare services available at your new address to make sure you are getting the best deal.  See tips to help you during your move.

You may be paying for high speed Internet service, but if your computer has slowed down, deleting cookies may be a quick way to improve performance. Cookies are small bits of data saved on your computer’s hard drive that allow a website to remember things about your visits. It may be log-in information, preferences, or how you have used the site over several visits. If you go to the site frequently, not having to re-enter the information is convenient. However, even if you visit the site once and never return, some information may be saved in a cookie. This saved data takes up more and more space over the months and years, eventually impacting your computer’s performance. Read more about how to delete all cookies or review your cookies and specify those you want to delete in Delete Cookies to Improve High Speed Internet Service in the Resources section.

As our high speed Internet service delivers us to dozens of web sites a day, most of us know that every page is being noted in our browsing history. That “history” makes it convenient when we want to return to a site later. There are times; however, when it’s a good idea to clear your Internet browsing history. If no one else is using your computer, then deleting the history may be less of a priority. However, if you share a computer or use a public computer, deleting the history is a crucial, especially if you’ve accessed a site connected with your name in any way. Read more about the steps to take to delete the browsing history of your high speed Internet service in the Resources section.