DAILY SUNDIAL
Housing Guide 2013
PHOTOS BY JOHN SARINGO-RODRIGUEZ
California State University, Northridge
Featuring Meridian Place Apartments | Love where you live! See page 5
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Staying frugal on a college budget Areli Rodriguez Melanie Gaball Cynthia Gomez DAILY SUNDIAL
Finding ways to be frugal in a fast-paced college environment can be tough. When you’re constantly busy with classes and homework, work and various extracurricular activities, it’s not always easy to find affordable ways to eat, maintain hygiene or make your living space aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Fortunately, there are three stores nearby campus that can help you save money.
99 Cents Only Store: Groceries
Every student needs food to stay focused throughout the semester, but it’s not always easy to budget when schedules are filled
with classes, homework and work. Finding time to scout for affordable groceries can be a challenge, but food options at 99 Cent Only Stores range from lunch meats and pastas, to vegetarian-friendly ingredients – and they’re only 99 cents. For $25, students can purchase at least a week’s worth of food at this affordable grocery store.
Big Lots: Hygiene Products
If you’re looking for ways to save money, it’s not necessary to sacrifice the quality of basic products. Big Lots offers name-brand products at a reasonable price and is an option for those who want an inexpensive alternative. Basic hygiene products can add up and stretching every dollar is essential these days. CVS and Target
may be the stores that come to mind when looking for hygiene essentials, but Big Lots offers some surprisingly affordable products for students.
Dollar Tree: Home Improvement
Stocking up on home necessities on a college budget can be a daunting task for students living on their own or in dorms, and buying accent decorations may seen particularly frivolous. Bargain hunting can be time consuming and frustrating, but there are some surprising $1 options at Dollar Tree that may be worth a trip if you are trying to spruce up your home. While this doesn’t seem like the first place to shop for important items (and for a lot of things it isn’t) there are some decent quality items.
PHOTO STAFF/ DAILY SUNDIAL
Wine glasses, bottle opener, towel, kitchen shears, ceramic plates, pillar scented candles and glass candle holders from the Dollar Tree.
2013 Daily Sundial Housing Guide | 3
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Keeping college bills down Ieva M. Augstums MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
DALLAS _ Everyone knows college tuition costs have been soaring. If you’re going to college, presumably you’ve already worked out how you’re paying for tuition. What you may not have fully grasped is how much the other costs of college have risen—costs for things like books and supplies, travel, room and board, and other incidentals. Fortunately, savvy students know there are ways to save. And they know that successfully managing your finances in college is one of the most important lessons you’ll come away with. “When kids are living at home, they are used to certain things,” says Cindy Bailey, executive director of education finance services at the College Board. “At college, things are different. ... There are standard-of-living costs.” The national average for per-
sonal expenses at four-year public colleges is about $200 a month, not including books and supplies, according to the College Board. You can spend more. Or you can spend less. But you have to live within your means. “Think of it this way,” says Steve Loven, director of the College Planning Center in West Des Moines, Iowa. “You want to live like a college student today so you don’t have to live like one when you graduate.” The main decision that will have a big impact on your spending is where you will live. Living in the residence halls with a seven-day meal plan is the most frugal move, because your basic needs are taken care of. But there’s no point to buying the meal plan if you’re going to break down and order a pizza several nights a week. Robert Alviar, a University of North Texas senior who lived on campus for his first two years, dealt with that issue.
“When people wanted to go out to dinner, I stayed in because of my meal plan,” he said. “You figure out what works best for you.” If you live off-campus in an apartment, it’s possible to keep costs down by having roommates and cooking your own meals, but you also face many more unexpected costs and temptations to spend money. Alviar experienced that, too. He lived in an apartment last year. “Once we got that first electric bill for our apartment, our mouths dropped,” Alviar said. John Hoffmann, 18, starts classes this month at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. “I’m doing what I can to help pay for my college costs,” says Hoffmann, who has received roughly 25 percent of his tuition in scholarships. “Some of it’s being paid for, but not all.” Hoffmann will live on-campus with a roommate in the residence halls. He plans to drive home once
a week to do laundry and eat dinner with his parents. “That’s my plan for now,” Hoffmann says. “We’ll see how it goes with gas prices and how much time I have.” Your choice of major can affect your costs for a computer, lab fees and textbooks. While college campuses have student computer labs, many students find it beneficial to bring their own computer to school, says Maria Ramos, director of financial aid at the University of Texas at Dallas. Textbook costs, however, are soaring. Experts advise buying early to get the best deals. You can save by purchasing used books online or even from friends who already took a course. “Buying early is a big problem for college students, who tend to procrastinate,” says Steve Loyola, president and founder of BestBookBuys.com. “As soon as you get that course list, you should start looking.”
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There’s more to roommates than finding an apartment Jessica Milcetich MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Robin Hartung was excited when she moved out of her dorm room and into an apartment. She was finally free from the rules and restrictions of living in a dorm — no more signing in guests or dealing with dorm assistants. She even got her own room in the new place. But, apartment living wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Cleanliness was a huge issue for Hartung of Coopersburg, Pa., who will be a senior at Shippensburg University this fall. Ants began invading her new apartment as dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Hartung eventually got so fed up with getting stuck washing pots and pans before and after every meal that she finally packed
them all up and took them home. "We had no pots or pans for the rest of the year," she says. Almost every college student who has moved from a dorm to an apartment probably has a horror story to tell about messy roommates, unavailable landlords or complicated financial problems. The problems may have seemed unavoidable, but with a little advanced planning, sticky financial, roommate and landlord situations can be avoided or their effects minimized. Sit down with your roommates before moving in and write down every single expectation and detail, advisers say. That includes making decisions about grocery shopping, cleaning, having visitors or "significant others" spend the night, how the bills will be paid, when and how loud you can play music and addressing any issues unique
to your roommates. It may sound cheesy and a little bit nerdy, but it will save a lot of stress and potential fights down the road. "Leave nothing to chance, even if it makes you squirm to have to discuss it," April Masini of AskApril.com says. “Just keep telling yourself that whatever the level of discomfort is now, it's guaranteed to be 10 times worse if left to fester.” But even with the best advanced planning, problems and disagreements are sure to arise. Keeping a cool head and leaving emotions out of the problemsolving will help resolve issues in a responsible and mature way. "When you're young, youth and stupidity go hand in hand," says Boyce Watkins, a Syracuse University professor and author of the book "Everything You Wanted to Know About College.”
"If a student wants to move off campus, prepare as best as you can in advance. You're going to pay tuition in the school of life. Life's most valuable lessons come from our most costly experiences. You're never going to learn about life if you don't live it," he says.
FIND THE RIGHT ROOMMATES
You've finally moved out of the dorm, where you were assigned to live with the psycho roommate with hot pink hair who refused to talk to you. Your apartment-mates are going to be so much better; they are your three best friends. Everything goes along perfectly until Sally stops taking out the trash and Joe doesn't wash the dishes. It doesn't bother you the first few times. But one day it gets to be too much, and you explode at your lazy, sloppy friends.
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Friends usually don't make the best roommates because it's hard to do business with friends, and paying rent and utility bills are the business of roommates. What usually happens is they never discuss the problems and things end up blowing up and fights break out. Setting guidelines in advance can help eliminate some of the problems. If everyone knows what is expected of them and the rules are written down, people are more likely to follow through on their responsibilities. "If you have explicit conversations before you get into that situation, you're going to have a much healthier and happier living environment," says Brendon Burchard, the CEO of College Success Bootcamp. So set the limits in advance. Make a list of chores that explicitly says who is responsible for what. If one person does the dishes, then another can vacuum and a third can take out the trash. If a problem arises and one person doesn't do his share of the
work, have a meeting — immediately. The longer a problem is left to fester, the harder it will be to confront the person about it. It's important to agree in advance that if a problem does arise, all parties involved will lay the friendship aside and approach the issue as business partners. Nothing said in the problem-solving meetings is meant to attack another person on a personal level. Everything is strictly business. If roommates can follow through on this practice, they have a much better chance of remaining friends.
DECIDE WHO PAYS WHAT, RIGHT AWAY
The easiest way to handle the new financial obligations that come with renting an apartment is to tackle them head on from Day 1. Determine how you and your roommates will be paying the bills. Students should create realistic budgets, factoring in money spent on movies, music, coffee and other everyday conveniences. It’s important to decide how
HOW TO PICK A GOOD ROOMMATE To select a compatible living partner, look for the answers to these four questions: SMOKING: Does the person smoke or not? If so, is this a problem for you? SCHEDULES: Does the person have compatible sleep, class and work schedules? SHARING: What am I comfortable sharing with this person: chores, possessions, etc? SPACE: How do you and I respect each other’s space and privacy? the bills will be paid before they start pouring in. That way everyone knows their financial expectations and can plan accordingly. Most experts recommend paying for everything separately except for the rent and utilities. That means everyone should be buying their own food, laundry soap and toothpaste. “Every college student in the country breaks that rule,” Burchard says. “And that’s where the trouble begins. It’s a no-contest rule in my mind. Don’t share finances.” That may seem easy for most things, but things get a little sticky
when considering the dinner situation. Breakfast and lunch are easy meals to keep separate, but at dinnertime, roommates tend to eat the same meal together using one roommate’s food supply. One solution Burchard offers is to operate like a restaurant. If you or a roommate cooks dinner, everyone else who eats that food pays at the table. The cook should collect that day. Putting payment off until the end of the week makes it too easy for people to forget how much they owe.
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Daily Sundial Housing Guide Map 118 Topanga Cyn. Blvd.
Devonshire St.
5
CSUN
(see inset)
11 13
ďƒŠ
Victory Blvd.
Lassen St.
5 7
405
4 2
101
Superior St.
7
170 Sepulveda Blvd.
Reseda Blvd.
8 3
6
Balboa Blvd.
Nordhoff St.
12
White Oak Ave.
5
N
Magnolia Blvd.
10
Plummer St.
101
9
CSUN
Prairie St.
Vanalden Ave.
1
Lassen St.
27
Vincennes St.
210
Ventur a
Dearborn St.
Rayen St.
Zelzah Ave.
Darby Ave.
7
Reseda Blvd.
Wilbur St.
Nordhoff St.
1. 16640 Devonshire Apartments (p.5) 16640 Devonshire St. Granada Hills 91344 2. Belasera at Superior (p.5) 17720 Superior St. Northridge 91325 3. CornerStone Apartments (p.9) 8609 De Soto Ave. Canoga Park 91304 4. CSUN Student Housing (p.9) 17950 Lassen St. Northridge 91325 5. EZ Storage (p.8) 9420 De Soto Ave. Chatsworth 91311
Blvd.
6. Furniture Corner (p.3) 8660 Reseda Blvd. Northridge 91324
11. Northview Southview (p.9) 8111 Reseda Blvd. Reseda 91335
7. Golden State Storage (p.4) 18832 Rayen St. Northridge 91324
12. SoCal Self Storage (p.10) 9000 Corbin Ave. Northridge 91324
8516 Sepulveda Blvd. North Hills 91343 15655 Roscoe Blvd. North Hills 91243 8. Independence Plaza (p.9) 8735 Independence Ave. Canoga Park 91304 9. Meridian Place (p.7) 9423 Reseda Blvd. Northridge 91324 10. Meridian Pointe Apartments (p.12) 9500 Zelzah Ave. Northridge 91325
13. Villa Grande Townhomes (p.2) 18641 Saticoy St. Reseda 91335