As we all know, the new iPhone 3G is released exactly one week after USA’s Independence Day (phone comes out July 11). But the release of the new iPhone will herald anything but independence. Chris has been using Teleflip to text me for quite a while now. It works well.

AT&T is now charging more for text messaging plans and text messaging is no longer included in a plan. Who ever knew the price of sending 160 characters could increase faster than the price of gas?

Save Money on Text Messages with Teleflip

The idea is simple. Instead of sending an SMS message ($0.15/message without a plan), send an email to the phone number with Teleflip. Though cell phone carriers attach an email address to your SMS inbox, it’s not always so easy to know which carrier your contact uses. That’s why there’s TeleFlip. This is a free service that figures out where that text message ought to go. Address it to @teleflip.com. Your message gets delivered straight to your bud’s phone, with a little post-roll ad of course.

Here’s the best part: when they reply to the text, it will automatically route it right back to your email address. You’ll receive their response in your email inbox — not as an SMS. So you don’t have to pay for the texts either way.

Plus, the reply email will be genuinely from their cell phone (not an “@teleflip.com” address). Thereafter, you should use that address instead because it won’t put the tail advertisement from TeleFlip at the end of the text message. Set up a separate contact field in your Address Book.app for your friends’ phone numbers. It will save you some time when texting back and forth.

How else do you avoid telecom companies price-gouging you? Let us know in some comments!

The Background

Regular readers of HackCollege know that Chris and I hated Twitter. First, we tried finding other uses for it. Our favorite was to use Twitter as an emergency messaging system.

Then I signed up for it and slowly began using it. Little by little, I started integrating it into my life more and more. Chris also started giving me more and more shit, but I stuck with it.

FOWA Revisited

While not too many people were using Twitter at the Future of Web Apps conference in Miami last weekend, everyone there had a Twitter account. I shamelessly “followed” some weblebrities and some other people that I had met.

Most importantly, I started following Bryan Thatcher.

One Stupid Twit

During the FOWA hangover period, all the “Internet famous” people I was following started chattering about SXSW. I was not going. I had class. I couldn’t foot the $450 walk-up pass. I was sad.

Unfortunately, a lot of Twitter is what I consider “away messages”; stupid pointless updates on what people are eating for breakfast, what their cat just did, etc. I posted one of these emo messages saying “@bryanfuse Bah, I wish I could even afford the ticket price in the first place =\” And that twit in response to Bryan changed my weekend and maybe my life–we’ll see.

Windfall

As it turns out, Bryan needed a temp for his company Empressr. Paying for my conference pass would be much cheaper than outsourcing to a temp agency. And, I like to think that I am smarter than your average temp.

My frequent flier miles got me here and my Twitter luck is keeping me here. SXSW is the one conference that every geek needs to attend. It’s too much fun and the parties are better than the best party you’ve ever been to. Even better than Interhouse at Caltech.

So get on Twitter and meet some rock stars. And friend me in the process: twitter.com/kellsutton

Stocking a bar is a difficult task. Stocking a bar for $100 is even more difficult. Because there is no be-all-end-all method of stocking a bar for $100, you need to keep your goals in mind.

Limiting Factors:

• Cost
• Number of People
• Length of Party

This is a lot of stuff. Take everything with a (margarita) grain of salt and make changes as you see fit. No party is exactly the same; likewise no party has the same requirements. And — depending on your state’s liquor laws, taxes, or store rip-off-ness, prices vary.

Building the Bare Bones Bar:

Before having a solid house party, you need a good foundation. If you want a full-out bar, you’ll need all of these things, but pick and choose depending on the situation.

The essentials (stuff you only buy once per term, twice if you’re an alcoholic)

• tonic water
• sour mixes
• soda water
• ginger ale
• light cream
• lime juice
• grenadine
• triple sec

Stuff that you probably already have but need to get if you don’t

• milk
• water
• ice (about a pound per person)
• salt
• nutmeg
• limes/lemons
• garnishes
• juices (OJ, cranberry)

The essential liquor combos:

• 2 lights
• 2 darks
• Vermouth

$100 Bar for a Cocktail Party (10-15 People):

With a cocktail clambake, quality of alcohol is key. Dumping Monarch rum into a potentially delicious daiquiri is just plain unacceptable. You won’t be able to stock a bar with every alcohol you can imagine and still afford the mid-shelf liquors that any cocktail party needs. We chose alcohols for covering your cocktail party drink bases, rather than providing the ability to make that obscure drink out of your friend’s iPhone drink mixing widget. Gin and Tonics, not Sianara Mother Fuckers.

For a cocktail party with less than 15 people, you will need 4 to 5 fifths of booze. For a well-rounded bar, we recommend:

Read on to your heart’s content »

Everyone loves to save money when the opportunity is available (especially the average college student). You always hear that “timing is everything”, and the same goes for purchasing merchandise. If you follow a few of these guidelines laid out from different experts, you can get the most bang for your buck.

Days of the week:

Kelli Grant, from smartmoney.com claims that Thursday, before 10 A.M. is the best time to purchase gas.

Why: The price of oil isn’t the only factor influencing costs at your local pump. Consumer usage plays a role, too — and weekend demand is high, says Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com, a price-monitoring site. Prices usually swing upward on Thursdays as travelers fuel up to head out the following day. By hitting the pump before 10 a.m. (when many station owners change their prices), you’ll beat the rush and the price jump.

Read more on what days to purchase items such as airplane tickets, books, cars, clothing, entertainment, and food at Kelli’s post on smartmoney.com.

Months in the year:

The blog, Frugal for life, says that there are shopping seasons, or months that merchandise is generally cheaper. For instance, January is the best month to purchase bedding, TVs, winter clothing, and toys. Check out the full 12 month list at Frugal for life.

Other money-saving tips:

Most people don’t know that they are eligible for a monthly discount on their cell phone bill either through their employer or an educational discount. Check out how to score a discount on your monthly cellular bill at jkOnTheRun.

HackCollege always brings college students different ways to save some valuable cash. Check out our money category for an archive of money-saving posts.

Photo Credit: Tracy O.

Have you already or will you soon be sending in your college applications? AdmissionHook focuses on the importance of the personal statement, and each year they give away a scholarship to a top essay. This year, they’re giving away $1,000.

Between 250 and 500 words in length, your college application essay can be submitted easily on their website. The deadline is in 2 weeks, so do it now.

Who can apply for this scholarship?
Any 9th-12th grade high school, college, or graduate student. There are no age limits but you have to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

And if you’re like me and applying to law school, the site also lists some sample essays to get you started. I think I’ll be writing mine on lifehacking.

There are many perks to being one year old, specifically being able to remind people of cool past content. This one breaks down different ways to make some money sometimes without too much work. Here’s an oldie that was written November 1st, 2006:

• Make Some Extra Cash in College Without a Work-Study (or Real) Job

Want to win $500 for videotaping yourself wearing “carpet skates”? First comment to this post gets a free pair from us. Be sure to include your email address.

And then see the contest.

To go along with Jason’s link to the ultimate steal from Microsoft, JourneyEd is a great shopping site for other cheap software.

A quick search on the site, and I found Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended for $300, when it regularly costs $700.

However, to purchase any of the products listed, you will have to prove your status as a student –so be prepared to give your SSN. But the site is definitely worth the look if you’re in need of some specific, and often too expensive, software for a college art or programming class. Thanks, Katie, for the tip! Any others?

September 12th through April 30th Microsoft will be offering the Office 2007 Ultimate edition for just $59.95 for college students. Currently this offer is only good for students in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. (sorry Kelly and Chris). Microsoft also requires you to have a valid .edu address and to be actively enrolled and taking at least a .5 course load. Be sure to have your student ID available also because if Microsoft requests to see it and you can’t cough it up - you will be required to pay the full price for the license (about $679) ouch.

You can check out “The Ultimate Steal” from Microsoft here.

Now that the title caught your attention: the truth is, you won’t get all of your textbooks for free, but you can probably get a few without paying for them. There’s a difference – you’ll see.

I’ve been trudging through the textbook debacle for several semesters, and like the student-cheapskate I am, I have some very creative solutions. I’ll also share a few more money-saving secrets for when there’s no choice but to drop the dollars. In other words, I’m not going to refer you to a bunch of websites that sell cheap textbooks and call it a post. This monster-sized article will turn you into a true textbook skinflint.

Read on to your heart’s content »