It was worth it. I love going to the Christmas tree lot with my family and picking out the best tree we can find. However, as much as I love the tradition, it can be an expensive one.

It’s good news to hear, then, that Christmas tree sales are up from last year and more people are looking forward to the real deal this Christmas. This article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out how tree sales are on an upward trend again, showing signs of relieved economic pressure.

Even people who settled for shorter, less conspicuous trees last year are changing their tune. Nothing beats the fresh scent of pine when you’re opening presents on the morning of the 25th. I’m glad to hear that more people feel the same way this year.

Well, according to fellow blogger, The Budget Babe, Topshop may be rumored to sell clothes at moderate prices, but it still isn’t cheap. The Budget Babe did all the first hand research, checking out prices and reporting back. I have to say I’m a little bummed at what she had to say. After all, was it too much to hope for new, recession-friendly fashion?

College shopping is all about H&M and Forever 21 to satisfy our cheap fashion needs, but young women are ready for something new. Something exciting. This fashion forward British invasion was supposed to do the trick and instead it leaves shoppers feeling tricked.

I wouldn’t feel too bad for Topshop or the shoppers, though. After all, it is still a novelty to own Topshop clothing in the US, especially when someone like Kate Moss designs for them. People will still fork out the money and Topshop will still have their glory days as long as women are excited to strut their designs down the streets of New York City.

Now we’re finally starting to get some proof that social media can influence sales. According to this article from the San Francisco Chronicle, the answer is in survey research.

I’m influenced by Facebook and Twitter all the time. In fact, I’ve come to count on them to tell me what’s going on in the world, what music is popular and what is the latest media scandal. I can’t even get away from the American Apparel ads that are always on the sidebar.

It’s clear that people are influenced by the opinions of others around them. Advertisers could take a cue and replace annoying pop up ads with actual human opinion. Social media has grown beyond it’s original purpose and served to create a whole new basis for human interaction and influence. People trust what their “friends” are saying. I sure do.

Well, newspapers have a legacy and many publishers aren’t ready to let that go. Axel Springer, a German publisher, wants to raise the value of the newspaper again. In this article in the New York Times, Springer wants to let the world know that readers should be charged to read their news online. That’s right, journalists can cheer now that they have someone stepping in and showing appreciation for their work.

Will people buy into buying their news online? Maybe if they had no choice. It seems that people like their information fast and they also like it free. Taking away the “free” could breathe some life back into newspapers. It could make newspapers worth something again.

Yes, you can go on the internet, but you have to pay for it… monthly. The texting feature is so cool… but if you plan on using it a lot, you better buy an unlimited texting plan. You can add so many apps! But most cost money.

Case in point, the iPhone adds up. To make sure it’s really worth it, do your research. Make sure you can afford to buy all the features you want to. Make sure the sheer coolness of it all won’t end up taking it’s toll on your pocket.

This article from the New York Times Freakonomics blog shows just how much iPhone expenses can add up. I say all this because I desperately want one, but until the price is right, my dad is holding off on that expense. For now I will stick with my average phone, with absolutely no bells and whistles. I think I can do without them for now.

An article like this one in the New York Times is supposed to inspire fear and reformation. It’s supposed to stop people from getting bootleg music and actually paying the artists what they deserve. Instead, I feel pretty bad for the student who has the pay over $600,000 in damages knowing that people will keep on downloading illegally.

Although I’m sure some people might do it for the rush, I’m going to go ahead and guess that many are just looking to listen to their favorite music without spending hundreds of dollars a month. The effect is that the turnover rate of new music has increased tremendously. With free music on demand, you can illegally access a new favorite song every week.

Do I think it will stop? No. Well, at least not for awhile. But it doesn’t mean people aren’t trying. This article at AllAboutJazz.com mentions a British program, We7, that is trying to curb the problem and give artists the props they deserve. At least someone is trying to do something. Until then, we’ll just have to wait to hear about the next kid’s class action settlement over pirated music.

I had an idea that lots of students drop out of college every year but I had no idea just how many. It turns out not many parents are as supportive as mine. Many don’t even help their children pay tuition.

It’s a little disheartening that in a time where a college education is so important, so few people can actually afford to go. So why the lack of help? Student loans and financial loans are limited and in high demand. Even if you study hard, the competition gets more and more fierce. Are soon-to-be college students destined to attend state schools and go on limited state scholarships? Maybe. Or maybe it’s time educators figure out a way to get students the tools they deserve to have a fair shot in their adult lives, once they really are left to their own devices.

Now, what you’re probably envisioning is five teenagers with huge backpacks moving from hostel to hostel. If you are, you’re only right about the backpacks.

Instead we stayed in high end hotels at the same cost as a hostel. Why? Because my friend, Jonathan, organized our trip through STA Travel. I know, I know, this sounds like a shameless plug but it kind of is. I wouldn’t write about this travel group if  I didn’t believe they got students truly good deals.

We had the time of our lives for under a few thousand dollars, a steal compared to the price of most month long European adventures. If you’re a student, take advantage and check it out yourself. See if you think it’s worth it and visit their website.

According to this NBCNewYork.com article, coffee drinkers will now have to pay up to 25 cents more for their favorite drink. This price hike may not seem like much to some, but I believe that some coffee drinkers will start thinking about how much Starbucks is really worth to them.

Don’t get me wrong, I regularly go to Starbucks for my coffee fix. But while I blindly hand over my credit card, unaware of how much I spend on a monthly basis, I could be saving that money for something else. If anything, this article has got me thinking, how much is the novelty of a Starbucks drink really worth?

Starbucks had put off raising prices for quite a while. Now this is proof that no one is untouchable in a struggling economy.

I know how much the high cost of tuition and living expenses weighs on my parents. If I didn’t love it so much here, I sometimes wonder if I should have just gone to state school. It would have saved my parents over 3/4 of the money they spend now on my education.

It’s so expensive to go to SU, that I always figured we topped Most Expensive College lists, but after seeing this article on CampusGrotto.com, I was wrong. SU isn’t even on the Top 100 lists for most costly schools.

Does this really mean that that many students are shelling out big bucks on their educations every year? Apparently so. As I scan the list, I see colleges that many of my friends attend, like Kenyon and Babson. Friends that I went to high school with and friends that come from similar financial backgrounds. How do they cope? I suppose we’ll all be paying off loans until the end of time.

The real problem is, why is it so expensive to get an education in the US? Like most students, I don’t understand where the money goes. For now though, all I have is a list and the comfort of knowing I’m not alone.