The ultimate "super saver"

To many Steven Bellman, seems like the average consumer. He frequents the food store, malls, and clothing stores. However, to friends and family, John is the ultimate "super-saver." Steve realized the value of saving after his career. Being a husband and main provider of a household, he is more careful with money matters then most. Steve realizes how much he saves collecting endless coupons and going out of his way to find really good deals. His family quotes, "he walks out of the grocery store with them (the store) paying him." Bellman goes through collections of coupons before going out shopping. He also hangs on to every reciept he is given from a purchase. For my slideshow I plan to focus on just how much work Steve puts in to saving his money and monitoring his purchases. The project will include Steve's spending records (what he bought and the price he paid) and how he decides where his money goes. I feel that he would be a great person to focus on for the slideshow because he is the prime example of what it takes to save and the attention that budgeting calls for. If you thought you knew how to save your money and budget yourself, you haven't met Steve Bellman.

Beat related article

In an article entitled Austere Times? Perfect,the gleefully frugal are starting to cut back on spendings willingly. Becky Martin is one of them. Ms. Martin has cut up her 10 credit cards, borrows movies from the library, and has begun to grow her own fruits and vegtables in her backyard- all the while her family is sitting comfortably. With a job as a real estate investor, and her husband working as a plastic surgeon- their home sits on the grounds of a 12-hole country club in Cincinnati.
American spending is down and savings are up. There are other people out there just like the Martins. People are frugal and loving it. Whether its driving out of your way to save a few cents on gas or only buying food on sale at the market, saving has made people feel better about themselves.
In some places, there are groups forming to ecourage the frugal lifestyle. Whether it's for moms or fashionistas, these groups encourage penny pinching shopping options. The Frugal and Fabulous Moms is one group that reaches out to the coupon-clipping, stylish mom that loves a great deal.
The gleefully frugal hope that the recsession brings about a new generation of budgeting.The article did a good job of painting a picture of what people are doing to save a buck. I would include some of the extreme, or unique things people are doing. This would really pull readers in. I would also like to hear about what some men are doing too to cut back. The article seems to focus on the actions of women, however I think it would be helpful and interesting to learn about what men are saving money on also. The story used captive quotes and even included some humor which made it more appealing.

Looking for editing techniques

The chosen shots, angles, and images can make or break the story you are trying to cover. These elements are very important to bringing your story to life on the screen.

National Geographic is one source that does an excellent job of capturing footage. The angles and images work to tell the story and to correlate with the dialogue. This helps the viewer follow along and get a better understanding of the tone and depth of the material. The segment titled Investigating Baby Mammoth does a good job explaining the story with the versitile camera shots. The shots are detailed and give you a good look at the main subject being discussed. It includes wide angles of the scientists and their tasks. The footage also includes tighter angles to focus on the actual subject. This is an affective way to reveal the information and events.

Listen into my audio story

Sometimes it's hard for students to scrounge up that couple dollars for a cab ride on the weekends. Imagine how hard it is for them to come up with next month's rent. My audio story delves into the struggles students face when living in places of their own. Mainly, my story tries to focus on their financial responsibilities. I asked students how they manage monthly expenses as well asked about their likes and dislikes about apartment living. I wanted to know what kinds of things students look at when deciding on places to live. These things include: amenities, location, additional charges for parking, and of course rent payments. Mainly,I wanted my audio story to give insight into how students manage their finances, expecially when they have a big financial obligation like housing.

Here is a link to my homepage where you can listen to the story: "Aparment living: just not a walk in the park"

"Buying" into my feature story

Shopping plays a big role in almost everyone's life. Whether we realize it or not, most of our money is spent on clothing. My feature story, "Dress to the 9s for Less," cirlces around the concept of thrifty shopping. The main goal was to get readers to take notice of the smarter ways to shop. I want people to look outside the pricey retail stores and to be aware of the more reasonably priced clothes shopping options that exist. In order to do this, I narrowed my search down to two stores that I thought to give consumers the most "bang for their buck." I began my research at Gabriel Brothers, which is a large store that sells lower priced brand-name clothing. The second was Plato's Closet, a consignment shop that allows its customers to sell their clothes for cash while also finding bargains on a large collection of items. I hope the story made readers realize great finds can be found outside the walls of the mall.

Click this link to read the story: "Dress to the 9s for Less"

Audio Clip Ideas

Ideas for my audio clip have come slowly to me. I have not yet finalized the topic on which my audio clip will focus on. I have had a few ideas brewing but, I'm not totally convinced they are what I'm looking for.

My first story idea is to see ways students are saving money with housing. Are they choosing apartments that come furnished to save money on furniture? How are they managing their monthly payments? How do they purchase groceries? I would explore all of these aspects and get a better understanding of how students are living on their own, while still managing to save a pretty penny.

Another story idea I had in mind was student jobs. What kinds of things are students doing to save money? Where are they getting their spending money from? What kinds of things do they spend their funds on? This would give other students an understanding of how to better manage their money.

Summary and broadcast leads

Example #1- Baltimore Sun

Print Lead: The vice president of Baltimore's NAAP chapter said yesterday during a rally for taxicab drivers that his reputation has been damaged after police arrested him, claiming to have found drugs in his car.

Broadcast Lead: Baltimore's NAACP chapter president claims that he was targeted after police found marijuana and heroin in his vehicle.

Example #2-Baltimore Sun

Print Lead: "Police have released the name of a 33-year-old woman who was killed in a fiery crash that injured her young daughter in Glen Burnie this morning, authorities said."

Broadcast Lead: The name of a 33-year old women was released, who was killed in a fiery crash that injured her daughter in Gken Burnie.

Example #3-Washington Post

Print Lead: "President Obama today launched a drive to curb wasteful spending on government contracts, introducing reforms that he said would save American taxpayers up to $40 billion a year and help usher in a new era of fiscal responsibility. "

Broadcast Lead: $40 billion in tax dollars will be saved by American taxpayers with Obama's plan towards financial responsibility.

Pros and cons to being thrifty

In the article Dangers of Being Thrifty, the writer distinguishes how being thrifty can be a downfall. Bick talk about how her views of saving and spending money changed from when she was an avergae university student to when she married and became a part of a single-income family. As a stay- at -home mother, she says there are dangers to becoming penny-pinching. According to Bick, one danger is becoming obsessed with the economy. Her arguement is that money saving methods are not necessarily the best time-saving techniques. She also adds that frugality can cause her to try every money-saving tip that comes her way. The main idea of the article is that trying to save money can become just as much as a chore as making it.
Clearly not everyone agrees with this view on being thrifty. Most people see it as a beneficial and rewarding thing. I can understand how Bick argues that being thirfty can be time consuming.

Bick says, "If I focus too much on money—whether making it or saving it—I have less time to volunteer at a crisis center or to write letters to someone in prison."

I think this is a comical way of saying, being thirfty can take away from doing other things. As opposed to just going to the store and picking up what you need from the shelf, sitting and searching through endless coupons can be the less favorable option. However, I am always a fan of saving money, even if it does take a little bit of my time. I see that taking the time to find the best price for something can be satisfying. I would add the oppposing opinion to this article to make the reader see both sides.

Tackling my feature story

With a little help, I have finalized an idea for my feature story. I have chosen to focus on cheap and easy shopping, specifically clothing. The feature will be a how-to story on finding the best deals for your wardrobe. For my story, I plan to venture to 2-3 thrift stores in the area and gain some insight into the business. Stores such as Plato's Closet and Gabriel Brothers will be my prime focus. The feature will include interviews from the consumers as well as from the employees. I want to capture why these types of stores appeal to people. What makes them thrive? The article will incorporate both the opinions of those interviewed as well factual information about the business. I want to write this feature, in hopes that students will find these kinds of stores a better, more reasonable shopping option.

Perfecting the Wall Street Journal formula

The Wall Street Journal formula is probably one of the most used feature story structure. The greatest challenge for the writer is to maintain supporting material clearly organized by theme so it does not create an overwhelming mess of facts for the reader to seek through. The WSJ formula is made up of four main sections.

I came across a story in the Washington Post, that used the WSJ formula. This story is presented using a anecdotal lead: "On May 1, 2007, a very different economic era, Janet Faello put her former marital home on the market for $829,000. She and her husband were divorcing.It seemed like a good price for the house, a six-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath ranch in Dix Hills. But it didn’t sell at that price, or at $750,000, where it landed six months later, or at $699,000, where it stands now. " This used a specific example of a case. The nut graf of this story begins in the sixth paragraph. Here, is where the individual example ties in with the main idea of the story. It discusses the main points of the article. The main focus is on the harships sellers are facing due to the eroding home values in the housing market.

The body of the story goes more in depth by providing quotes and facts that support the main idea of the article. "On Long Island, the median sale price of homes in 2008 was $378,688 in Suffolk County, compared with $410,000 the year before, and $455,000 in Nassau County, down from $490,000 in 2007, according to the New York State Association of Realtors."

The article is closed by wrapping the story around with a final quote from Ms. Faello.

"I feel as if I get a little sharper each time,” she said. “The amazing thing is, they’ll see your home and come up with a number they justify by saying they’ve sold homes for that in the area. But list with them, and they’re ready to drop the price.”

An idea to bite into

For my beat, I'm going to have to dig deep to find new, thrifty ways to survive as a college student. I want to be able to offer students more options aside from the occasional bar scene and get them out of eating from on-campus dining halls. I want to give them more choices to shop rather then hiking to the Towsontown mall, only to walk away with empty wallets. As I began thinking about how I would like to narrow the focus for my feature story two thing popped into my mind: food and clothing. Let's be real, college students love to eat and they love to shop. What better way to make my way into reader's hearts then through their stomachs and wardrobe? Some ideas that I have stirred up are:

1. CiCi's Pizza- all you can eat for $5
2. Gabriel Brothers- thrift shop

Students can eat great and dress to impress without spending top dollar.

Just Dance

Are you looking to save money and still have a fun night? Well, you are in luck. Towson's annual 12-hour dance party, TigerTHON, offers just that. Killing two birds with one stone, Tigerthon allows participants to socialize with friends all night, while also raising money for a worthy cause.

This event serves to raise money for Johns Hopkins Children's Miracle Network. The night features a DJ, games, prizes, dancing, and free food all in the name of helping children. TigerTHON is especially perfect for on-campus residents who face the issue of transportation to weekend events. This is a required event for members of Greek Life, however it is open to all students. Jennifer Balsamo, an active member of the Alpha Phi sorority, is excited about this year's event.

"I think it's a great way to get everyone together, not just Greek life."

This years upcoming TigerTHON event will held on Friday, February 27th at 5 p.m. and will end Saturday, February 28th at 5:00 a.m. This is a great opprotunity to spend the night with your friends, meet new people, and raise money all at the same time. Registration for the event can be done online, along with a $5 fee.

Summary vs. Feature

Whether you want to be creative and narrative with a lead or simply state the hard news, there is a style to fit every story. Summary leads differ from a feature leads in many ways. Summary leads do not try to pack in the 5W's and an H, but rather focus on providing a quick preview of the news to come. They are specifc and concise. These leads are usually kept at 30 words or less and always in active voice to grab the reader's attention.

Feature leads serve a little different purpose. Feature leads pull the reader in by using an offbeat way of starting it: a powerful quote, a joke, or a diary entry. Some feature leads add description as a way to set a scene for the reader. Narratives do just that by presenting the story along with other elements such as quotes or dialogue to set up a scene. Question leads are simple in that they pose a question. There are many types of feature leads that catch the reader's attention in a powerful way.

As long as the lead serves its purposes of getting the reader's attention, it's appropriate.

Two examples of feaure leads:

Kenseth Wins a Wet and Wild Daytona 500 By: The Associated Press
A Four-Track Guy in a Digital World By: Melena Ryzik

Rich culture, cheap prices

The Boston Globe article, "College towns are catalogues of fun things to do," encourages college students to explore the "rich" culture that a college town can offer without having to spend the big bucks. The article uses a few selected colleges and universities and discusses what unique attractions can be found at each one.

Globe Correspondent, Hilary Nangle, does a fine job of finding appealing acitivites in the surrounding areas. Everything from museums, performing art centers, chic cafes and galleries are included as promising suggestions for a good time. The article includes both on and off campus options and gives prices (if any) for fun activities.

If I could adjust the article, I would simply add more colleges to the list. I would include more of the well-known or larger colleges that reader's could possibly relate to better. I like how Nangle included both on and off campus activities. Not all students have cars and tranportation does not come easy to all. Having these on-campus options included really adds appeal. Nangle's ideas are sure to please any college student and leave their pockets a little fuller.

Budgeting 101

With the economy draining everyone's pockets, there is no reason it should be taking what's in yours. As college students strive to have the ultimate social life while their away, it becomes more difficult to budget what they spend.

With this college guide to spending less I hope to offer students affordable ways to have fun. As a college student, I know how hard it can be to hold on to that last couple bucks in your wallet. I hope this beat will allow students to see the cheaper activities that are available just around the corner. I want to offer new ideas and options to students that they would not think of otherwise.

About Me

Hi everyone, my name is Brittany and I am a Journalism major here at Towson University. I have worked with my high school newspaper and plan to get involved working with the Towerlight this semester. It's exciting to be a part of another Journalism/ New Media class. I expect to learn a great deal about online journalism and expand my skills working with multimedia. I aspire to one day work in New York City for a fashion magazine. Being able to write for major publications such as Seventeen or Cosmopolitan is an ultimate goal of mine. My journalism skills have really grown since my first class here and I can only hope that they continue to improve.