Life after Rider: Helpful Web sites for grads

Graduation is right around the corner, and every college senior can benefit from saving time and money. Here is a Top 5 List of Money Makers and Time Savers anyone can appreciate:

Make your graduation a profitable experience 

Everyone knows that graduation money can add up, and the more invites you send, the more you cash in. Thanks to SendOutCards.com, you can send a few hundred announcements and never have to hand-address or sign a single one. The online Web site lets you upload your entire address book, personalize the cards and click send. They’ll print, stuff, stamp and send your cards for you, and for cheap.

Jumpstart your mileage 

Other than a grad check, what else can your academic transcripts get you? According to StudentScrooge.com, a trip to Greece, apparently (or anywhere else, for that matter). United Airlines offers graduating students a 10,000 Mileage Plus bonus, which is roughly 40 percent of the way to a free domestic flight. Just send in your transcript, e-mail address and United Mileage Plus account number, and they’ll immediately deposit the bonus miles.

De-clutter your bookshelves 

Because textbooks are reissued in new editions frequently, the last few weeks of a semester are the best time to sell your old books to get the most value back. Bookbyte.com is easy to use and gives college students a bang for their buck. Best part: The site pays for your shipping and ensures you receive your payment within five business days.

Retire that lava lamp, or any other furniture that screams “undergrad” 

Using Facebook, and other social networking sites, is a great way to sell your residence hall furniture to underclassmen. Simply utilize Facebook’s marketplace application to post your offer, and take advantage of status updates and designated groups to get the word out. You may just get enough spare cash to fund your next rite of passage into adulthood: Buying that first couch.

Counteract senioritis

Sorting through a daunting pile of loose notes and indecipherable scribbling before exams? Pull that final 4.0 by logging on to MyNoteIt.com to organize and share notes and study tips with fellow classmates.

– Kendra Smith, account representative for Barnett Ellman