The stuff had to go, so she started with obvious, cigarettes. Not before she tried every way to keep them. She tried to fit them into her budget. She lowered her grocery bill, began hanging her clothes, used only cold water in her washing machine, anything to save money to keep her cigarettes.

She discovered that whatever she did she could not scrimp and save enough. It came down to another decision: Stay at home with her son and quit smoking or, go back to work to keep her habit supplied.

She made decision to stay home with her son. She stopped smoking. In three and one-half years since she has quit, she has NOT smoked 27,000 cigarettes. She has saved $7,185.00, more than $1900 a year. She has put that money to better uses.

You know you could find a place for more than $150 a month; I know I could. Don’t let your bad habits rule your life and drain your resources. Get them under control and put that saved money to good use in your financial plan.

(C) 2005 David Wilding

Meet deadlines Pay attention to scholarship requirements – meet them in as creative a way as possible, and always be on time!

Diversify Apply for every scholarship that you qualify for. Even small scholarships can add up to big money if you win enough of them.

Beware of scams As you search for scholarships, especially on internet, look out for scam artists who

-Charge application fees -Guarantee you will receive a scholarship -Ask for unnecessary personal information, such as your bank account number

There are plenty of free scholarship search sites on web, so don’t pay for this service.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is best investment you can make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about how to maximize your scholarship search at http://www.NextStudent.com .