Great College Life Hacks

OKEMOS, Mich., – In just a few short weeks, hundreds of thousands of American students will be embarking on a life-changing transition to college. These incoming freshmen will finally experience what it's like to live on their own with increased independence - but this also means more responsibilities. They'll have to learn how to do their own laundry (if they don't know how yet), handle disagreements with roommates, and take a crack at cooking their own meals. To reduce the stress on incoming freshmen, we've compiled a list of great college life hacks to make organizing, cooking, and adulting a much easier transition.

1. Use Pop Can Tabs to Save Closet Space

Hanging pop can tabs from your hangers will give you extra room in case you're running out of closet space. Sharing a small space with roommates can be stressful, especially if you both have large wardrobes, so doing this will free up some extra room and help with closet organization. Plus, you can pair outfits together that will look good to save you time when you're getting ready in the morning!

2. Reward Yourself While You Study

Here's a great way to stay focused while you study for your big exam: buy your favorite candy and place a piece at the end of every paragraph. You can reward yourself with a little snack for every portion you finish! Not only is it a delicious way to get studying done, but studies have shown that it actually helps to improve your memory quite a bit by using the reward system in your brain.

3. Color Code Your Keys

Organize your dorm, home, and whatever other keys you may have by color coding them! Using nail polish and tape, color coding your keys only takes a couple minutes and will save you the hassle of trying to figure out which key you need all the time. Follow these steps to make unique key designs that you can mark so you won't have to shuffle through your keyring every day!

4. Keep the Change

Collecting loose can be an awesome way to save extra money you may otherwise misplace. Keeping a jar on your wall or in a convenient location can help you save up money for new dorm decorations, a night out with your friends, or even a new vehicle, if you're feeling ambitious! Before you know it, you'll be filling and refilling the jar as the weeks go on and you'll have more spending money!

5. Save Dresser Space

The next time you do laundry, fold your clothes and stack them vertically to make extra room for all of your clothing! You'll be able to see what your shirts look like and will save a lot of space for your whole wardrobe. It saves you time in the morning and can make a huge difference in the long run!

6. Coffee Pot Cooking

Believe it or not, your coffee pot can work like a mini stovetop, too! You can cook noodles, warm up cheese dip, or even make some oatmeal in the morning! Cooking With Your Coffee Maker is a blog full of recipes that can be created with a few ingredients and a simple coffee maker. When you've got a hunger that dorm food can't quite satisfy, coffee pot cooking may be the answer to your problems!

7. Turn Your Cup Into a Speaker

You'll never oversleep again with a cup alarm! Place your phone in a cup overnight and the sound of your alarm will be amplified by sound barrier of the glass. Put it on your desk or dresser so you'll have no choice to get up to turn it off, and before you know it, you'll be up and out of bed, ready to take on the morning. You can even use it to play music at a higher volume while you study or hang out with friends!

Make freshmen move-in easier with these great college life hacks. Getting a full taste of independence can be exciting, but managing responsibilities is extremely important and will help students grow into fully functioning adults. Whether you're moving in to college yourself, or you're helping your child move in, you can decorate a dorm easily with some easy-to-make art projects! Save even more money with these quick and easy DIY projects, and learn some amazingly easy summer recipes to bring some homestyle cooking skills up to school!

Located conveniently just outside of Lansing, Hank Graff Chevrolet Okemos is here to help you with your car buying and servicing needs. Our goal is to create a transparent experience and a comfortable environment for all of our valuable customers. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule an appointment, reach us at (517) 349-8300, or stop by the dealership at 1748 W. Grand River in Okemos, MI 48864

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Cheap Eats for Every College Student Going Back to School

OKEMOS, Mich.– School is out for the summer, but if you’re a college student then you know how brief that little vacation from history lectures and English papers and studying and math tests– we’ll stop listing all of the things that give you anxiety now– can be. Don’t worry– those are things you can adjust to, get back in the groove with.

But what about all of the other things you literally need to survive while living in a dorm room for 8 or 9 months out of the year with $20 to your name? You know, things like food. We can’t ace your biology test for you, but we can help you save money and keep your stomach from growling in class with these cheap eats for every college student heading back to school:

Pasta– around $3 for 1 box 

Elbow macaroni, rotini, farfalle, spaghetti– the range of pastas you have to choose from is endless in every direction. Now, what you decide to do with that pasta is what gives you creative power. Try mixing in butter and salt, or add your favorite pasta sauce. Ever had tuna mixed with macaroni? That's a good one, too. The possibilities are endless, as are the carbohydrates, which also make pasta the perfect meal for you college athletes out there!

Hot Dogs– around $3 for an 8-pack

The dog is quite possibly the most fun of the cheap eats due to its blank-slate appearance. What we mean is you can add whatever toppings you like because chances are they’ll all taste great on a hot dog. Plus, you can get an 8-pack of weenies for super cheap, and a bag of hot dog buns is probably less.

Eggs– around $2 for a dozen

We love eggs, and so should you. Why? Because, just like pasta and hot dogs, there is a number of ways to eat them– scrambled, fried, hardboiled, poached. Some daredevils even consume them raw, blended into a smoothie, but we’re not condoning that.

Rice– around $3 for a 32-ounce bag

Right now you’re thinking about how plain and unsatisfying a bowl of rice would be after a long day of classes. But, again, it’s time to expand your mind and let the creative juices start flowing. First of all, a bag of rice will last you a seriously long time. Secondly, you can turn rice into a pretty spectacular meal. For something simple, try adding garlic powder or salt to white rice. For a little zest, go with Spanish rice. If your pallet demands a more complicated concoction of flavors, a bag of fried rice is cheap and also provides you some extra nutritional value from the veggies it contains.

Pizza– around $5 to $10 depending on where it's from

Of course we had to include the most classic of the classic cheap eats for college students going back to school. While most college students can eat an entire pizza to themselves, if you’re frugal you can make a pizza last multiple days. And you know how versatile pizza can be, not just with what toppings you put on it, but also in regards to when you eat it, whether its breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. And don’t be ashamed, Morning Pizza Eaters– we’ve all had a slice for breakfast at some point.

Hopefully these cheap eats for every college student heading back to school show that just because you’re digging for quarters in the couch that doesn’t mean you can’t eat semi-well. Of course, you’ll probably want to save those quarters to eventually buy a big bag of salad, but until then you can at least get by with these meals. Do you have any other cheap meal ideas for college students? Share them with us by commenting below! Then check out the New Chevy Cars and New Chevy Trucks available at our Lansing area Chevy dealer!

Hank Graff Chevrolet Okemos is committed to providing you with integrity and convenience, all close to home. Let our friendly team of Chevy professionals at Hank Graff Okemos help you – simply call us at (517) 349-8300 or visit our showroom, located at 1748 W. Grand River Okemos, MI 48864. We’re just minutes from Lansing!

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