Cheap Date Ideas: Winter Edition

Farmers Markets. Each weekend there are farmers markets all over the city. Pick one and explore!

Ice Cream Cruise. Every Sunday between 11am & 5pm, the Seattle Ferry Service offers an hour long tour that takes you by the “Sleepless in Seattle” houseboat, Dale Chihuly’s glass blowing studio, and Gas Works Park. Tickets are $11.  Ice cream treats, coffee, hot chocolate, and soft drinks, $2 to $4.

Tour the Theo Chocolate Factory in Fremont. Tours are held daily and are $10 per person.

Pike Place Market. Though the market can be expensive if you’re not careful, there are definitely some budget friendly things you can do. Check out this guide for Pike’s on a budget.

First Thursday of each month is free admission days for multiple museums around the city.

Ice Skating. Highland Ice Arena is a great place to go for that classic ice skating experience. Admission is $7.50 for adults, skate rental is $4. Another option is Winterfest held annually at the Fisher Pavilion in Seattle Center from Nov 25th - Jan 2nd.

Cooking Classes. If you want to splurge, you could buy a series of classes or do a one-time class and learn the art of a new cuisine. You can also do this for free at home. Just use or get a cookbook or recipe and make some food together!

Watch Cartoons. Or anything really. Gather up some snacks, blankets and have fun watching some telly together.

Go to an Arcade. While it can definitely add up, you can definitely have a couple of hours of fun on the cheap if you’re careful with how you spend your money/points in the arcade.

Used Bookstore Adventure. If you’re into books, head to some bookstores and see what you find. You can always play that game where you open random books and read the best passage or sentence you come across.

See a movie at the Central Cinema. General admission is $8 but you can get even cheaper tickets if you buy them more than 24 hrs ahead of time. They also have occasional 99 cent movie nights. Check out their calendar.

Share cheap, delicious wine on the street. $20 will cover the bottle, tax, and a generous tip atList Restaurant, where Italian bottles go on sale every afternoon.

Drink some free whiskey at the Westland Whiskey Distillery. Take the tour and learn how they make the single-malt, then head to the tasting bar to sample the wars.

Head to the Conservatory in Volunteer Park.

Taco Tuesday. The Tin Hat offers $0.69 tacos on tuesdays, see how many you can eat.

Have fun!

Start an Emergency Fund!

It happens, sometimes we have emergencies in our lives and they’re always unexpected. Start an emergency fund so you can be prepared for any unforeseen event that might happen. Things like getting in a car accident, losing your job, an illness, natural disaster etc. You’ll be happy you saved up even just a little bit!

Start out small and work your way up. Ideally you would want to set up a separate bank account, but you could also have a jar/envelope in your home. You can start as small or as big as you’d like, just start saving! One method would be putting as little as $10 a month aside, or anytime you have extra change or cash in your wallet, stick it in your fund!

Make it automatic. If you’re having troubles letting go of the money, treat it like a bill and set up an automatic transfer on payday. That way you won’t even notice that the money is gone and you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll have in the emergency account!

Only use it for emergencies. Make sure you don’t dip into the fun unless it’s an emergency - since that’s what this is for. You’ll thank yourself later!

Good luck out there!

Holiday Shopping & Saving Tips

Find a seasonal job. This could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. It’s a great way to

earn some extra money in a short period of time with no long-term commitments, plus you don’t need to have much experience for most seasonal jobs. A good time to start looking is September-November.

Make a budget and keep to it.

Start early. The holidays will sneak up on you fast, so start early if you’re able. You’ll thank yourself

later!

Go Handmade. Be creative!

Trade! If you’ve got some kind of art or craft thing that you make, find other people who also do and

trade with them. Suddenly you both have a gift worth giving without having to pay for it!

Check out thrift and consignment shops. Sometimes you can find the perfect gift!

Black Friday. If you’re good with crowds, hit up the Black Friday sales. You can check out

BlackFriday.com for tips and deals for the day. If you’re not good with crowds, there are still many

Black Friday deals online! Make sure you know what you’re looking for and don’t get sucked into

buying unneeded things.

Cyber Monday. The Monday after Black Friday is Cyber Monday. Check out CyberMonday.com for

more details and deals. Some are even offered now!

Good luck!

Student Discounts: Travel & Transportation

Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it. Here are some resources we’ve pulled together to find the cheapest flights, bus tickets, hotel prices, etc. for your journeys.

First of all, and we’ll say this over and over again, always ask if there’s a student discount! Even if it’s not advertised, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The worst that’ll happen is they’ll say no!

Choice Hotels - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can get 15% off at certain hotels.

StudentRate - Find discounts for hotels, car rentals, flights, and even cruises!

STA Travel - Find deals on flights, hotels, travel insurance and more.

StudentUniverse - Offers discounts on flights, hotels, tours, groups and more.

BookingBuddy - Find discounts for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cars, cruises, vacation rentals, etc.

CheapOair - Discounts for flights, hotels, cars, vacations, etc.

One Travel - Deals on flights, hotels, cars, vacations & cruises.

Hotwire - deals for hotels, cars & flights

Orbitz - Deals for flights, hotels, cars, activities, etc.

GenerationFly - Specifically for students travelling internationally. Register for free to get started.

BoltBus - Depending on where you need to go, you can get super cheap tickets through Boltbus.

Greyhound - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can save 20% on tickts. With the card you can also save 40% on package shipments sent through Greyhound Package Xpress.

Amtrak - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can save 10% off tickets. You can also earn travel points.

Rail Europe - If you’re between the ages of 16 & 25 you can get discounted tickets! You don’t even have to be a student.

There are many more resources out there, so do some of your own research if these aren’t working out for you.

Good luck!

Finding Cheaper Tickets for Theater

Some of us aren’t able to use the wonderful TeenTix anymore, and it can be a hard thing to realize you’re expected to pay much more per ticket whenever you want to see a show around town. Luckily, there are many theaters that still offer student discount prices. There are also a few resources to look into for some cheaper tickets for the shows you want to see!

To make theater more accessible, some theaters offer student rush tickets 30-45 minutes before each performance. These tickets can only be purchased in person at the box office and you must have proof of enrollment to obtain the discount. Local theaters that are offering this discount include Paramount, 5th Avenue Theater, The Moore, Neptune

Seattle Repertory Theater offers a student discount for $18 tickets for all shows, a 50% military discount for those in active duty, veterans and other immediate families, and discounts for those 65 years and older.

Seattle Repertory Theater also offers 1/2 price rush tickets 30 minutes before each performance, these aren't just for students, they're for anybody. They also offer "Pay What You Can" tickets sold day-of-show only, based on availability.

5th Avenue Theater also offers $20 Day-of-Show tickets for students and patrons under 25 years old, as well as for theater arts industry employees.

Seattle Arts Crush - presented by Theatre Puget Sound - features free and discount theater tickets during October. Check out Artscrush.org to find free or reduced tickets.

If you’re a AAA Member, check out this list of places you can get discounts in Seattle!

At ArtsWest, student tickets are always $17 - discounted from the regular $37.50

Free tours!

Paramount Theater offers free tours on the first Saturday of every month.

Moore Theatre offers free tours on the on the second Saturday of every month.

Neptune Theatre offers free tours on the third Saturday of every month.

Other resources for discounted tickets:

StubHub

Theater Mania

CheapTickets.com

GoldStar

Theatre in Seattle

Many other theaters such as the ones at UW, ACT, Theater Puget Sound, and many more offer student/senior/military/under 25/etc. discounts to make seeing theater as accessible as possible. Always do some research and check out the theater's website to see what discounts you might be eligible for.   

Go see some theater! Good luck!

How to Take Care of Yourself When You’re Sick

It’s that time of year, and while many of you may have already gotten over the “Cornish Crud,” it’s definitely still lingering around the school. We’ve pulled together a few tips on how to take care of yourself when/if you do get sick this year (and if you already have, consider these tips for the future!).

Keep your hands washed. Keep those germs at bay, for yourself and for others.

Drink tea, water  & lots of other liquids - soup or Pho too! Staying hydrated will help to clear mucus. There are lots of recipes for different teas and drinks that help with cold symptoms too. Here’s one! Gatorade or similar liquids with electrolytes can be helpful too. But don't drink alcohol, energy drinks, or anything acidic if you can help it.

Avoid dairy. This will just make your mucus worse, and nobody wants that. Avoid fast foods as well. Try to eat some healthy foods with vitamins and lots of nutrition - even some dark chocolate can be helpful. If you don’t have much of an appetite or have an upset tummy, toast, applesauce and/or bananas are a good thing to try to get something in your belly.

Take a bath or warm shower. It’ll make your body feel better. Plus the steam will help clear your sinuses! You can also get this same effect another way - find out how here. Be careful if you’re feeling light headed!

Take your vitamins. Strengthen your immune system by taking some vitamin c & other vitamins. Check out this article for recommendations on what to take.

Get as much rest as you can.  Try not to stress yourself out too much, rest is what’s going to help you recover.

Don’t feel guilty. Take care of yourself!

Treat yourself. Cuddle up and watch your favorite movie or start a new show, read that book you’ve had sitting on your desk for months.

Sore throat? Make this Cinnamon Tea and click here for 8 foods that will help your sore throat.

Exercise just a little bit. Even though this is usually the last thing you want to do when you’re sick, it can help! Check out this link for 8 yoga poses to do when you’re sick.  

Listen to your Doctor. If you’ve gone and gotten checked by your doctor, make sure you listen to what they recommend. Take your medication, get some rest, and follow their medical advice.

Rest up and get better! Good luck.

Understanding Work Study

Some students get confused with work study, so here is what you need to know:

What is work study?  It is a need-based program that provides eligibility to work part-time on or off-campus while pursuing your studies at Cornish. Your eligibility is determined by the information that we receive from your FAFSA.

How is it funded?  If you are a legal resident,  it is funded by the State of Washington and your employer, and your award is called State Work Study. Otherwise, it is funded by the federal government and your employer, and your award is called Federal Work Study.

How  can I participate? First, you need to be eligible. To find out if you are or not, you can come in and talk with us or look at your Financial Aid Award on Compass. If you have a Work Study Award, you will then need to search for a job. It is your responsibility to find and get the job. Getting a work-study award does not guarantee you a job, and jobs are limited.

Finding a job. If you want to search for work study and non-work study positions, internships, or volunteer opportunities, you will need to register at College Central.

See  STUDENT & ALUMNI REGISTRATION AND USE INSTRUCTIONS on College Central login page for more instructions.

Register.
Click on students.
Read information and announcements.
Go to register now link.
Create an access and ID password.
Continue registration.
From the homepage, select search for jobs/opportunities posted by my school.
Check work study box in job type field. Limit number of criteria to display more jobs.

When hired, what must I do?  You must complete new hire paperwork with your employer and the financial aid office - for this paperwork, we are required to see your passport or Social Security card and a photo ID in person. If you don't have access to these, there are other documents that can be accepted - please come in and talk with us.

What is the difference between a work-study job and a regular part-time job?  Some of the benefits of a work-study job are scheduling flexibility, working in your field of study, work-study earnings typically not increasing your FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC), eligibility for the State of Washington Food Stamp Program while you maintain your work study job, whether you are a legal resident or not.

How do I get paid?  For an on-campus job,  you and your supervisor keep track of hours worked on a timesheet you both sign on the 19th of the month and submit to the Financial Aid office. At Cornish, you receive a paycheck once a month at the end of the month (last business day). For an off-campus job, you do the same but according to your employer's payroll and timeline. You must be paid at least once a month.

How much can I earn?  You can earn up to what you're eligible for - this amount varies from student to student, so if you would like to know you can come in and speak with us. You must be paid an hourly wage that is equal to an entry level non work-study position performing similar duties with the organization and, never less than the City of Seattle's minimum wage of $13.00 as of January 1, 2017. You can work a maximum of 19 hours per week during enrollment periods and up to 40 hours during the summer.

How is my pay applied to my tuition account?  It is not. You receive a paycheck from your employer to use for your personal expenses.

For more information check out this article from StudentAid.gov

Good luck!