Category Archives: Student Living

Being Part of a food co-op is Great!

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I have participated in a food co-op for about a year now.  It first started as a group of friends, neighbors actually, that shared a commitment to eating healthy, salubrious foods prepared from scratch from home.  The layout of a food co-op can vary depending on the people that participate.  One main theme around co-ops is the economy of time and money: triple batch your cookies and granola, or soup since it’s pretty much the same amount of work, and then exchange what you don’t keep for yourself and household with others in exchange for their food stuffs.

My particular group of friends meet once a week (Sunday) for half an hour to make our exchanges, and we extend our get together once a month to learn a new kitchen technique, or how to use a kitchen gadget.  We made jam one week, which was so fun, and something I would never do on my own.  I walked away with two different kinds of jam, and now might invite new friends to my house for a jam-making session.

Highland Park food co-op example of a food exchange

The Highland Park food co-op exchange sees lots of great food shared.

Pittsburgh is the perfect city to start a food co-op because it is so “neighborhoody.”  It almost doesn’t matter where you live–Bloomfield, Squirrel Hill, Friendship, Highland Park–I’m sure there are probably at least three other people that would be willing to exchange great food with you.  And, the great thing is, you don’t have to participate each week if your schedule doesn’t allow.

 

A food co-op can help you to:

1) Learn new kitchen techniques.

Like how to make your own pasta (and how long can you store it), how to can fruits and vegetables when they are abundant at the farmers’ markets or your garden.  How to pickle vegetables.  Putting everyone’s collective knowledge (or lack thereof) into the project ensures best-practices and new ideas are shared.

2) Learn new tools that you can all share.

How many of us have a dehydrator?  How many of us need one?  I’m sure someone you know in your neighborhood probably has one, or a juicer, or a pressure cooker, and perhaps you’ve never become familiar with these appliances and want to learn.  Ever used an immersion blender to make creamy soups right in the pan?  They are amazing!  Have a soup making day with your friends!

3) Know where your food comes from.

If participants agree to use locally sourced foods, you can ensure you’re eating foods that do not have pesticides or hormones.  The friends in my food co-op have decided that as much as possible we will use locally sourced foods–and many of them have their own garden.  The higher up an animal is on the food pyramid, the more we care about where the food comes from, and therefore typically don’t use meat in our exchanges.

4) See your friends!

Often I joke that with busy schedules, for me, volunteering is the only way I see many of my friends.  The food co-op is another way that I’m guaranteed the chance to spend time with my foodie friends.

The Highland Park Food Co-Op making jam together

The HP Food Co-OP group learned to make jam during an extended exchange

I highly recommend a food co-op to anyone with a busy schedule that likes food, likes to cook, and likes friends that like these things as well.  We recently helped a second food co-op get up and running, and I’d be more than happy to talk with YOU about starting one as well!

To Refinance or Not to Refinance your Auto Loan

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drive away happy with riverset auto loans

You’re in the market for a new/used vehicle and an auto loan.  You conduct extensive research online to learn what you can get for your trade in, review dealer inventory, current auto promotions, color/features that you want – the list goes on and on.  You think about what payment makes you the most comfortable with for your auto loan (incidentally, NEVER start out your conversation with the salesperson at the dealer by revealing what payment you want… I’m sure they’d love to extend the term from 60 months to 72 months to get you there) and you make your way to the dealer, get what you want, and drive off.  Now what?

You’ve signed the papers but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give a second thought to your auto loan.  What is your interest rate?  What is the auto loan term?  Refinancing your auto could save you money and, it is typically a relatively quick and painless process.

Interest rates are historically low.  Just check online to see what they were a couple of years ago and what they are today.  When you purchased the vehicle, how was your credit? Poor, Average, Great? Has anything changed?  If it’s improved you could secure a better rate.  And, even if it was great when you first secured your auto loan, the rates now could even be better.  Remember, you can access your credit report for free each year at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Again, refinancing you auto loan depends on a number of factors including is there value in the vehicle or are you “upside down” (i.e. vehicle is worth less than the auto loan balance), age of the vehicle, repayment terms and possibly a number of other factors.  Check out this article regarding the five best situations for an auto refinance on your car loan from bankrate.com.  The article provides some quick tips and states that “finding a lender that refinances is the easiest step in the process and goes on to state that credit unions have money to lend.”  So, I say do your research, utilize the online auto loan calculators at riverset.com to see how much you could save and if refinancing is the best option for you, take it.  Even if it is only a savings of $20 a month, it could mean saving hundreds or thousands over the life of the auto loan.

Riverset Credit Union is open to those in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler Counties.  To view our auto loan rates or to apply, visit us at riverset.com.

Food Co-op for Students

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Procrastination is inevitable for most of us.  We wait until the 11th hour to get papers written, finish our taxes, to start studying, to finish that report to our boss…  What is it that keeps us from our projects until the very last minute, until that moment when creativity and inspiration and sheer panic converge and we can (finally) get our work done?

The distractions vary for all of us:

I really want to clean out the kitty litter pan.

It’s about time I…painted my walls.

It’s Tuesday, time to rearrange the bedroom furniture.

The reason is pretty much the same: I want to not do the one thing I need to be doing.

When I was in graduate school, my biggest distraction was FOOD.  I would take the time to cook very elaborate meals, right down to making my own bread.  I became friends with a group of people, professionals, students, business-owners that have the same joy of cooking as me.  And, yes, just like I did years ago, one of the students within this group of friends uses food preparation as a way to procrastinate from studies…sorta.

Before you think I’m promoting procrastination there’s more.  Food production during our school years helps us to procrastinate productively, and survive our unpaid internships; (the latter a theme explored in our blog by former RIC intern Maureen Logan.)  How is the possible?  A kitchen cooperative!

The most basic concept of a kitchen cooperative (or a food co-op) is a group of people that exchange food with one another.

Leah Helou

Leah Helou tells us about procrastination with a purpose

Leah Helou, is a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh and the founder of the Highland Park kitchen cooperative (food co-op) with her neighbors.  Kitchen co-ops, also known as food co-ops, can have lots of standards from which to go by, and with the Highland Park crew, it’s all about the quality of the food.  The website explains, “We aren’t chefs, but we’re of a Slow Food mindset and we try to make things that are both nutritious and delicious.  The general idea here is to minimize labor and maximize quality in the kitchen…why make one batch of granola when you can make a triple batch, and why eat a triple batch of granola when you can swap half of it with a like-minded neighbor?”

Leah notes that, “we all gotta eat” and making quality food (whether we’re trying to procrastinate or not), takes time, and eating out often, especially when we’re trying to survive an unpaid internship, is expensive.  The food co-op serves “the economy of time and money.”  The Highland Park food co-op meets once a week and meets up for half an hour only to exchange food and about once a month extends the exchange to a couple hours to allow the group to catch up and trade food preparation ideas and techniques.

Leah told me, “when I was getting my MA, the students in my program and I had a monthly cooking session where everyone contributed in food preparation.  It was an all day affair, and in the end, we had lunches for everyone for the month.”

Even if we desire procrastination, projects like a food co-op help us to procrastinate better.  Leah explained that during the monthly food preparation gathering, the MA students were together and “discussions during cooking were based on what everyone was working on” so the students actually continued to process important information learned in class and creative ideas were borne while cooking.  Leah also notes that for her, the repetitive process of food preparation helps you to subconsciously think about things and figure out problems.

Highland Park food Co-op group shot

Leah and most of the Highland Park food co-op team

Procrastination is productive

Leah’s work at the University of Pittsburgh is research based.  “I can work for years and I may have no ‘end product’ that is a tangible that I can point to.  With food preparation, there is a start, middle and an end.”  Food prep, er go procrastination makes those of us that make our living as thinkers feel productive.  Leah also told me that food preparation can be an ego boost because, “if your bread doesn’t rise, it doesn’t mean that you’re not smart.  Food is a very non-judgmental work product especially if you don’t have a work product at your job, or your work tends to be difficult.”

Leah, thanks for your insights, you’ve made me hungry, want to know my farmer, and work harder…

 

Work-Life Balance: Stop Burning the Midnight Oil!

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Monday: Wake up! Class! Work! Class! Internship! Club meeting! Band Practice! Gym! Class! Bed!

Tuesday: Repeat!

Image extracted from: Life Skills Enrichment

Does this sound like your life? If it does, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Students frequently schedule themselves into a corner, filling every hour of the day with an activity. Whether you’re working to pay for school, at an internship to beef up your resume, in class for your degree, or a club that you joined because you really love to play co-ed full contact rugby, it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with the responsibilities that come with being active and involved.

Being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance is a great way to show employers that you can handle a heavy workload, and can prioritize and manage your time. If you find yourself with a regular free  block of time, certainly consider adding in an internship or professional activity to increase your skills and experience. You’ll be thankful you spent those hours working on a project instead of catching up on Glee.

However, there are real dangers to overextending yourself, too. Chronic stress and sleep deprivation have detrimental effects on both mental and physical health, including:

  • Decreased Performance and Alertness
  • Memory and Cognitive Impairment
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Exacerbated Pain and Headaches
  • Digestive Problems
  • Depression
  • Stress on Personal Relationships
  • Poor Quality of Life

The work-life balance is crucial to maintaining your happiness and health. If you find yourself unhappy, unable to enjoy activities you usually do, chronically exhausted, eating too much or too little, short-tempered, or generally unlike your normal self, take a moment to examine all the events you have going on.  While maintaining your commitments and upholding your responsibilities is important, your health is more important.

There’s nothing wrong with dropping an activity to take care of yourself. While dropping school, work, or an internship may not be an option, you may want to examine extracurricular activities and see if that time would be better spent elsewhere. Here are some tips to keep in mind for living a healthier, more productive life:

  • Eat a balanced diet, and eat enough.
  • Drink 8 glasses of water, every day.
  • Set aside unstructured time for yourself and your friends; vegging out on the couch can be relaxing and rejuvenating.
  • Exercise releases endorphins and keeps your body running smoothly. If a full workout session isn’t an option, try going for long walks, doing yoga or tai-chi, or biking instead of driving to places. You’ll feel better overall.
  • Most importantly, get enough sleep!

You are the most important aspect of your life. Sometimes it’s a struggle, but the work-life balance is essential to keeping yourself happy and healthy.

Balancing Work and School: Face the Challenge!

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Image extracted from: Matt in Menlo Blog

Getting back into the swing of things after long summer and winter breaks isn’t easy. It takes time to readjust your schedule and everyday responsibilities to ones that fit your new lifestyle on campus. Spending a beautiful day at the swimming pool will soon turn into spending countless hours in the library. Celebrating with the loved ones at Christmas will turn into celebrating the end of a 10-hour study session for your midterm exams. Sitting down with the family for a nice, home-cooked meal will change into hopelessly searching your dorm room for your last pack of Ramen noodles or Easy Mac. During this time of adaptation, many things can pass you by without you even knowing it – fellowships, study abroad opportunities, and applying for an internship. Many students do not realize how important internships are in terms of enhancing not only your future, but enhancing you as a well-rounded person in the professional world.

Why an Internship during School?

Internships are stepping stones on a career path that you will be on until you finally retire. Doing an internship during your fall or spring semester will teach you a lot about yourself in terms of what kind of work ethic you truly possess. Taking 5 classes while interning at an organization 10-15 hours a week might sound completely stressful and overwhelming, but trust me, there is a lot to gain from an experience like this. Fall and spring internships will teach you how to manage your time in the most efficient manner. Balancing work and school will become an everyday responsibility for you and performing this task every single day will polish your time management skills even more.

Internships offer you the kind of experience that is absent in most classrooms. They give YOU the chance to taste-drive the real world, while teaching you things that most college students never get the chance to learn. Balancing school and work is a hard task but it will be invaluable in your career as it will be a stepping stone for learning about time management and handling several projects at once. Having had this experience will show potential employers that you can get the work done!

The benefits you will receive from a fall internship are endless, but it is up to you to make it happen! So get out there and APPLY, APPLY, APPLY! Hurry, though, time is running out… www.theregionalinternshipcenter.org for all of your internship needs!

Surviving with an Unpaid Internship 101 (Introduction)

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Tips for getting by on a next-to-nothing income.

When searching through Regional Internship Center’s website, you will come across more “unpaid” internships than “paid” ones. Currently in our database, 66% of our internships are unpaid and 34% are paid. “Unpaid internships” may seem skewed towards students and recent grads that either have deep pockets or can rely on mom or dad to foot most, if not all of their bills. Therefore, if you are self-supporting like me, the “unpaid internship” may not seem like a viable option. However, in reality, employers, especially those in the nonprofit segment, who must offer unpaid internships, take time and money out of their budgets to train and cultivate interns, and the benefits interns receive can far outweigh an hourly wage.

I personally was raised by a single mom whose small business, during my college years, was suffering the effects of the tough economy. Needless to say, I did not have anyone to fall back on if I couldn’t make a rent payment. I felt I was at a great disadvantage when I began searching for internships in the arts field – most of which were unpaid. Nevertheless, I still applied for, and gratefully accepted an unpaid internship at The Warhol Museum
. Without this internship, I never would have been accepted into my dream graduate school. After all, my previous part-time work experience as a sales associate and hostess at a restaurant was surely not going to turn any heads in the Admissions Department.

You may be debating should I take a full-time job waiting tables where I will be able to live modestly, but comfortably, or take an unpaid internship and live off of McDonald’s dollar menu? Obviously, we here at Regional Internship Center think the answer to this question is a no-brainer. Therefore, having been in similar situations ourselves, we would like to impart some sage advice on how to survive with a “next-to-nothing” income. This is the introduction to a four part series that will discuss savvy ways to cut costs and find funds to help level the playing field between you and your more financially fortunate competitors. The last thing we want you to do is to resort to dumpster diving or living off free food from school events.

Check out the other parts of this series:


Surviving with an Unpaid Internship 101 (Introduction)

Surviving with an Unpaid Internship Part 1: 9 Ways to Stretch Your Budget

Surviving with an Unpaid Internship Part 2: Hungry? Don’t Starve!


Surviving with an Unpaid Internship: FOOD CHALLENGE: Making Sleek