After spending the past couple of years living in apartments where utilities, cable, and internet were already setup before I moved in, I seem to have forgotten how much of hassle it can be if you don’t plan ahead for setting these things up. To help you avoid making the same mistakes I’ve made in the past, here are 5 things you should do before moving into a new apartment.

1. Contact the utility company at least a week in advance.

You should do this for two reasons. If the utilities are in your name at your current place, you need to give them a date to stop the utilities at your current residence unless you really like paying for utilities that you’re not using. If the same company handles the utilities at your new place, then you can set that up at the same time. If not, it will be a little more of a hassle as you’ll have to contact multiple companies.

2. Call to get your cable/internet/phone/etc. set up at least a week in advance.

I made the mistake of not doing this for my new place, and I just spent over a week without an internet connection. I didn’t realize that the cable company here required an appointment, and of course, the next available appointment time wasn’t until a week later. Make sure you’re not disconnected by calling at least a week in advance to schedule these appointments.

3. Change your address and get your mail forwarded.

There are two options for getting your mail forwarded. If you’re old school, you can take a trip to your local post office and fill out a Change of Address Form in person. If you enjoy the convenience of technology and don’t mind paying a $1, then you can fill out a Change of Address Form online. Even though this will get most of your important mail forwarded, you still need to remember to change your address on your bank accounts, credit cards, subscriptions, etc.

4. Sell stuff that you don’t need anymore.

Moving is a great time to get rid of stuff. By stuff I mean things you don’t need anymore. If the stuff you have is still in good condition, you can try selling it on craigslist or eBay. If there are already new tenants lined up for your old apartment, you can see if they’re interested in buying some stuff from you. If so, then you don’t even have to pack/move/disassemble/reassemble your stuff, and you get some extra cash.

5. Start packing early.

If there’s any advice that I’m going to give out but never actually follow myself, this is it. I suck at packing early, and I’ve suffered the consequences — staying up all night to finish packing, forgetting where I put things because none of the boxes are labeled, and ending up with backbreaking boxes filled with textbooks. All of these issues could have been easily avoided if I had started packing sooner rather than later. The sooner you start, the more time you have to realize that you’re doing something stupid, like putting 100 pounds of textbooks into a single box that you’ll have to carry up and down stairs.

Last week, I asked you to share your favorite places to shop for the holidays. The answers included everything from local craft fairs to Banana Republic to the Internet.

Personally, I still enjoy going to stores around this time of year for the atmosphere, but I rarely buy anything. When it comes to purchasing the actual gifts, I’ve found that the easiest way is to do it all right here. Literally.

With sites that offer no tax (for most states) and free shipping, you can find most of your gifts for less by ordering them on sites like Amazon.com. Best of all, you don’t even have to get dressed.

Ordering gifts online is perfect for college students, or anyone else, who may be a long way from home. You can just have everything you order shipped directly home instead of having to cram it all into your luggage. It’s definitely what I’m doing this year.

The holidays are almost here, and if I recall correctly, that means college students will soon be cramming for exams to make up for all the time they spent procrastinating up till now. Fortunately, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is the holiday break. What better way to prepare for it than to kick back and enjoy some holiday movies? Here are five great holiday movies to get you started.

A Christmas Story

Without a doubt, A Christmas Story is one of America’s favorite holiday films. If there were a Holiday Movie Hall of Fame, this classic would be the first inductee. How many other holiday movies are aired twelve times in a row over a 24 hour period beginning on Christmas Eve? It’s practically impossible to make it through the holidays without seeing at least part of this movie. Watching it once is enough for me, but I triple-dog dare you to watch all twelve.

Elf

Will Farrell stars in this modern holiday classic, or so I’ve heard. To tell you the truth, I haven’t watched Elf, and I even own the DVD. It got great reviews when it came out back in 2003. Some critics even called it an instant holiday classic, and I’ve only heard good things about it from my friends. Well, I think it’s finally time to open up my four-year-old DVD to see if it lives up to all of the four-year-old hype.

Love Actually

The holidays aren’t complete without a romantic comedy that takes place during the holidays. Love Actually delivers that and much, much more. Following the stories of eight very different couples dealing with their love lives in various loose and interrelated tales, this movie is a romantic comedy on steroids. While this movie has “chick flick” written all over it, don’t forget that men enjoy romantic comedies almost as much as women do.

Home Alone

Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be able to recognize this face from a mile away. Home Alone is the most successful holiday classic from my childhood, and I also think that’s the last time I saw it. I remember really enjoying the movie as a kid. Sometimes keeping it simple and stupid is the way to go, because it doesn’t take much to entertain kids (and their parents). Who knows how many times I watched this movie as a kid? Sometimes I wonder if I’d still find it as entertaining if I watched it again today.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Here’s another holiday classic that I haven’t seen yet, but I do know one thing. Muppets = awesome. Actually, any story told through puppets should be awesome if done correctly. (Has anyone seen Avenue Q?) In The Muppet Christmas Carol, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and company come together to retell Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, A Christmas Carol. Looks like I have another holiday movie to add to my “Movies To Watch” list.

Every American knows that the Thanksgiving holiday is the busiest travel period of the year. Most of us rush home to stuff ourselves full of turkey and fixins, fall into a food coma, and recover just in time to fly back to where we came from. That’s why the Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving are the busiest travel days of every year. Here are a few travel tips if you’re one of the millions of people who will be flying to the place you call home this Thanksgiving.

1. Don’t do it.

Are you sure you want to deal with all of the crowds and lines at the airport? Wouldn’t it be nice to just cook yourself a turkey and dig into it like nobody is watching (because nobody is)? Plus, you would help reduce the crowds at the airports, making it easier for people, like me, who will be traveling. I think this is a great idea.

2. Go to Canada!

Guess what? Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, which means our Thanksgiving is just a regular weekend across the border. Actually, traveling to any other country will work. I did it twice during Thanksgiving breaks in college, and I didn’t have to deal with big crowds at the airports (in the other countries).

3. Don’t check any bags.

Just wear the same clothes for the entire trip. If you’re somewhere cold, you’ll be wearing layers anyway. Simply switch up the order every day, and it’ll look like you’re changing.

4. Get to the airport early.

We all know that it’s going to be busy at the airport, but it’s impossible to know exactly how busy it’ll be. To be on the safe side, you should go to the airport the day before the flight and spend the night at your departure gate. To be on the really safe side, leave right now.

5. Bring headphones.

If you want music, then you should also bring an iPod. Otherwise, they’re just earplugs. Either way, they’ll come in handy because there’s a 99% chance you’ll get stuck in the general vicinity of one or more of the following:

• a crying baby
• an annoying little kid who won’t shut up
• a snoring grandparent

6. Mark your luggage.

If you didn’t follow my advice on not checking bags, then be sure to mark your luggage. The stranger, the better. I mean, who would steal a suitcase covered in duct tape? Still not weird enough? Try some different colors.

7. Drink before flying.

Don’t waste your money on a tiny alcoholic beverage while you’re in flight. Drink some equally expensive, yet stronger, drinks at the airport before boarding to get the same effect.

8. Look but don’t touch.

Touch but don’t buy. Assuming you followed my advice and showed up to the airport at least a day early, you’ll have some extra time to peruse the shops at the airport. As tempting as it may be to start/finish your Christmas shopping while you’re waiting, it’s a horrible idea because 1) you have no room left in your carry on bag and 2) the recipients of the gifts will probably be picking you up for the airport.

9. Claim an armrest.

And don’t let go. This tip is for people stuck in the infamous middle seat — the only seat not guaranteed at least one armrest. First things first, you should have booked your flight earlier. Now that you’re stuck in the middle, the trick is to grab an armrest early on and never let go of it. It only takes a second for your neighbor to take it from you, so you can forget about making a trip to the bathroom. Also, you should never, under any circumstances, ever go for a handshake if they introduce themselves to you.

10. Bring your own reading.

Do people seriously buy things out of SkyMall magazine? Seriously? Combine that with the fact that the most exciting thing in each airline’s in flight magazine is the map of all of the places they fly, and it’s safe to say that your best bet is to pack your own reading materials. My suggestion — print out your favorite Broke Grad Student articles and read them again for the very first time.

Summer is over, and if you’re a college student, then you’re probably back at school. While some students stay close to home for school, others end up going hundreds or thousands of miles away. These tips are for the others.

Photo by caribb

With the school year just starting, the holiday season may seem like an eternity away, but from past experience, it’ll be here before you know it. So take a little break from your lectures, labs, parties, and shindigs to check out these tips for traveling this holiday season.

Start looking early.

By early, I mean right now. It’s never too early to start looking, especially with tools like Farecast, a one of a kind site that offers predictions on the best time to purchase airline tickets. Just enter your dates and destination, and it provides you with the best time to purchase your tickets and a comparison of prices from the different airlines and travel sites.

You can even see a graph of the lowest prices over a period of time. This makes it easy to identify trends like the big price drop right after the Thanksgiving weekend.

Purchase tickets directly from the airline.

While travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity are great for comparing ticket prices, it’s almost always cheaper to buy your ticket directly from the airline’s website. That’s because these travel sites usually tack on a booking fee.

Check other dates.

If your schedule is flexible, you may be able to save some money by staying/leaving a little earlier/later. Of course, you’ll have to decide whether the money you’ll save is worth the hassle. I could save some money by flying back after Thanksgiving on Tuesday, December 2, but it’s not worth it for me because I’d miss an entire extra day of work.

Check alternate airports.

Surrounding airports may have lower airfares, so it doesn’t hurt to check. Once again, you’ll have to decide whether the money you’ll save is worth the extra hassle.

Look into low-cost carriers

Depending on where you’re at and where you need to go, you may be able to fly on a low-cost carrier. Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin America are three of the most popular ones in the United States. Don’t let the term “low-cost carrier” fool you though. Sometimes low-cost carriers still cost more than major airlines, so be sure to check prices for both before purchasing a ticket.

Pack lightly to avoid checking luggage.

In case you haven’t heard, the major airlines have started charging for checked baggage to offset fuel costs. The policies and fees vary by carrier, so check the airline’s site before buying your ticket. Some charge for every bag while others only charge for the second bag. If you can’t pack lightly enough to avoid checking luggage, then you can expect to pay at least $30 per bag for a round-trip flight.