Tax Time

Just when things start to mellow out, I can feel Uncle Sam reaching deep into my already emptied pockets. It's that time of year again when W-2 forms show up in the mailbox, numbers get crunched, and taxes get paid.

Tax

Considering all the things that taxes are used for I guess they aren't too terrible, but they certainly don't help my situation financially as a student in plenty of debt. Once all the government documents arrive and get filed we get to file even more as students.

It wouldn't be possible to pay for school without a little help from the government. Therefore, completing the FAFSA and other scholarship opportunities permits my education to continue. Considering some of the tax breaks, the process a little more bearable (thank you new house). I certainly don't mind being able to file taxes for free.

Expenses

As the numbers become quite important, I thought a running total of expenses for Touro University Nevada's College of Osteopathic Medicine would be appropriate.

• Tuition - Roughly $37,000
  
• Books - $1000.45 (Used and new)
  
• Equipment - $1,550.65 (Laptop, lab coat and diagnostic tools)
  
• Clubs - $40
  
• Extra - $202.29 (Software, vaccines, etc)

Obviously these will vary from year to year and student to student, but it is in the right ballpark. Moving, housing and food expenses have not been included. With Valentine's Day around the corner, you can help curb some of these costs and get some fantastic deals, consider some of these great gift ideas.

Clinical Corner

Epistaxis (Nose bleed)

Research says that about 90% of nose bleeds occur as a result of damage to Kiesselbach's area. It is found in the front part of the nose and has a rich blood supply. The predominant reoccurring trauma is caused by fingers that are doing too much scratching. A smaller percentage comes from the back of the nose that cannot be reached by fingers which often requires medical help. Stopping a nose bleed may take time, and is good knowledge to have if you ever need it.

Rationed Time

The long days that never seem to end are certainly anticipated experiences. Only in the beginning of the whole process, I am learning to ration my time to the many tasks that demand my attention.

New Home

We finally closed on our new home and moved in last week (hence the missed post). It took our mortgage broker a long time to finalize the transactions and was more than a headache with a new problem or delay every day. Being first time home buyers has been quite the hassle and I know many medical students wrestle with the decision to become home buyers or simply rent.

In making our decision we had learned that renting a unit in Las Vegas would cost nearly the same as a mortgage. Our struggle was mostly with the mortgage lenders being flexible once we found the house we wanted. We waited until the very last minute before making the deal official.

All I can say is that if you are entertaining the thought of home buying, start well before matriculating. We ended up staying with family for almost a month. It was great to spend time with them, and we will forever be grateful for their hospitality. We just hate to have out-stayed our welcome. Renting sure sounded tempting on occasion, but our new home was worth the effort.

Student Loan

Reimbursement for the expenses of medical school cannot come too soon. With all the costs of living increasing and becoming more abundant, staying financially afloat is a rather fancy dance. I can come up with a lengthy list of debts, but if you are reading this you could name them just as well.

My financial institution is finally funding my tuition and reimbursement checks. It is a huge relief to know we will be able to buy groceries next month and have a roof over our heads. Visit the past post for more student loan info.

Exams

I knew medical school would move quick, but I had no idea we would cover an entire book in less than a couple months. Midterms were only one month in and next week will be our first week of exams. "Block week" as they call it, occurs three times a semester, testing our memory and endurance skills. With 24 credits this semester, I should start having nightmares any night now.

Somehow I managed to make it through my first couple tests despite the late...late nights of studying. This method is not recommended for two reasons: 1)Taking a test while fatigued makes information recall ineffective and 2)It's bad for your physical health. Of course I would like to have performed better, but the information was spilling out of my head by the time I took the test. I think I need to reformat my cerebral hard drive and free up a little space.

Student Organizations

I have been blown away and slightly annoyed by all the organizations vying for my money. Who knew there were so many student medical associations? Each one asks for membership money but none really have a significant impact that seems evident. The benefits they have expressed usually include free meals, discount suture clinics, and the ever popular screen printed tee-shirt.

I may be new to this medical school thing, but I'm not an idiot. My intention is to pass and earn a degree. If that means I cannot join an organization my first week of school, please support me in that decision. Perhaps down the road I will share a portion of my student loan with you so I can say I belong to your club. Maybe in the meantime you could come up with better reasons than a free lunch to be a member of your organization.

Welcome to Las Vegas

The biggest part of the move was a success and I am now writing from the Las Vegas valley. The moving truck barely made it up the hills at 45mph and coming down them topped out at 70mph. Due to the slow speeds, the trip took an extra hour to arrive. Perhaps the bugs smacking into the top of the truck are what slowed us down the most.


Hotel Las Vegas

As usual, our grandparents offered a very warm welcome upon our arrival. It's one of the things we look forward to each time we visit with them. Until the documents are signed and we close on our home, they have opened their one room hotel to us their guests. Although we do not expect to be here too long, it will be at least two weeks before closing.

Our truck rental only covered three days, so we made a little room in the garage and emptied our belongings before the heat became too much to withstand. We were surprised at how little we actually had and how quick we were able to unload. It was likely in anticipation of finally seeing the home we are in the process of purchasing.

Vegas Vacation

The home is beautiful and just what we expected to be getting from the pictures we have seen. We can not wait to move in and have the whole procedure finished. Meanwhile, I have been enjoying my last week of vacation before school starts. With so much to do, every day has something new to offer. One day I'll get a little sun next to the pool and the next I fill my appetite at one of the many buffets. I have to learn when to stop, it is starting to hurt.

Having air conditioning, in and of itself, is a super vacation. With no assignments, exams, or appointments to worry about, this has been a relaxing week. Just what I need right before starting the long days of medical school.

Back to School

With orientation and classes less than a week away, the final preparations are under way. I stopped by campus to get my photo taken for my ID card and was surprised to learn the students from other fields of study have been in classes for over a month now. The osteopathic students are the last to begin. A schedule of our classes for the next five months was distributed, showing what we have to look forward to in the near future.

We start as first year students with two days of orientation before classes begin. Oddly, there is no set schedule every week and classes vary from day to day, but the average day starts at 8:00 in the morning lasting until 5:00 at night. The nice part is that Fridays are shortened due to the Jewish sabbath. Jewish holidays throughout the semester offer many days off, especially during the month of October.

Looking at the course load seems a little daunting at this time, but the subject matter is exciting to consider. After all, this is the stuff I and my classmates have been waiting a lifetime to study and we are just now on the doorsteps of experiencing it all firsthand.

We are celebrating my grandpa's birthday this weekend, buffet style, what a great way to start the last weekend of my relaxed life. After next week, they will not be common occurrences for some time. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

Time to Hit the Road

After months of preparation, we are minutes away from leaving to our new home in Las Vegas. The truck is packed, has a full tank of gas, and the keys to our rental unit turned over to the management.

Budget Rental Truck

When I visited the post office to change our address, I was surprised to see a coupon for 20% off a Budget rental. Of course it might be too late now, but in the future I will be sure to look at the coupons before planning my move completely. We are still excited about the savings we obtained with Budget nonetheless.

Our truck is the larger 16' as the 10' truck would simply be too small. We still have extra room in the truck. It certainly relieved a headache of not being able to fit all our belongings into one vehicle. We have little furniture to transport, so fitting our collection of boxes was no problem. I would still recommend getting a truck slightly larger than what you expect to use.

Cleaning

Once our belongings were packed into the truck we were prepared to clean the apartment from top to bottom. The saying "many hands make for little work" is so true. I would like to express our appreciation to all of our friends and family who helped load our life into the truck and willingly cleaned with us. It went extremely fast; only one hour to load the truck and a few to clean.

We borrowed an inflatable mattress from some friends for the night as everything else was packed away. With everything done, it is a relief to be finished with this side of the move. The irony is that it only gets harder from here.

Fuel Economy

As I have never driven anything as big as our rental truck, I will be taking it slow on the road, not to mention it contains all of our earthly possessions. We plan to drive between 60-65mph to decrease our drag and increase our savings. Not to mention it will ease my nerves and improve our safe arrival.

A couple nights before departure, I used the internet to plan our trip and the best gas prices along the route. Using a combination of Google Maps and Gas Buddy I found the cheapest gas prices within the last couple days and the exit numbers to get us to the stations along the way. Before leaving I compared the most recent prices of the day and we are set. It is quite convenient as the average price is $4.08 and right in the middle of our trip is a station selling gas for $3.90! Of course driving two vehicles will not help, but any savings will help at this point.

Cheers to the last post in Utah and to a future in Las Vegas!

Packing Boxes

It has finally come down to cardboard, tape, and furniture. The last few days have been spent packing away books, utensils, supplies and everything else all in preparation to load our moving truck next week.

The first thing you see upon entering our home is a wall of boxes containing our life for the past two years. Thankfully it wasn't longer or we may have had more to pack. During my time as a postal employee, one of the carriers saw a box with a sticker on it and said, "Fra-gee-lay, that's French meaning 'to drop'." Evidently the fragile markings don't do much for security.

We spent some time with family this weekend and plan to spend more time with friends in the coming days as we say our goodbyes. Commonly a biter-sweet activity, there is no easy way to do it and feel like everything has been said or expressed.

As the months turn into weeks and then into days, I grow more anxiety towards the future and its complexity looming overhead. Some times I think I am that box being held by others who are saying "fra-gee-lay," shrugging their shoulders and dropping me to the ground below. What an amazingly stressful time.

Housing

Finding housing can be one of the most exciting and stressful experiences of the pre-matriculated medical student. While obtaining all the necessary documentation, supplies, and loans it is crucial not forget that you have to live somewhere. I was actually surprised to learn that my wife and I could afford more than a one bedroom home from Monopoly.

Studies have shown that individuals who buy a home tend to have more money saved than those who continue to rent. In our case we had to choose between paying $1200 for rent every month or paying a mortgage of $900-1100. Obviously the former choice would be throwing money to the wind whereas the later would ultimately build equity in our name. The decision was not hard to make as you could imagine. With that in mind, this blog will concentrate more on the purchase of a new home rather than renting a unit.

Home Loan
Many of us who are entering medical school have never purchased a home and likely do not have the money to afford paying cash for one. Currently, we are in a 'buyers' market which means it is easier and cheaper for buyers to get a home. Certainly my wife and I would love to have a lavish home with furnishings and the like, but neither of us make the kind of money that would be required for this to happen.

Our first task was to find a mortgage lender, someone who could determine how much home we could afford. Through a careful review of our expenses, debts owed, savings, and salary we could determine a monthly mortgage payment that would not be too expensive for our budget. In our case, I do not plan to work as I will be a student. This means one salary will be figured into the equation, which is usually a safe way to avoid foreclosure.

The goal here was to become pre-qualified and pre-approved. Qualified simply means you are eligible for a loan where approved means you have the loan waiting to be used. Sellers prefer an approved buyer as they will not have problems receiving their money. Thus pre-approved buyers have a greater chance of purchasing the home they want sooner than a buyer that is only pre-qualified.

Now that my wife and I knew how much our monthly payments would be, we also knew the price range in homes that we should be seeking. This significantly reduces the amount of homes in our search and allows for a more focused house hunt.

Location
Knowing where your school is located and the neighborhoods in the area helps greatly when looking for a new home. In my case, I would like to be able to live close enough that I could bike to and from school. Not only to economize with rising gas prices, but for the sake of exercise and proximity. If you are fortunate, Google will have your neighborhood on their street view allowing you to see it online before visiting in person.

Safety, climate, populations and other information may be useful as you look for the perfect place to call home. Consider your city's reported values and how they compare to national averages. After all, a purchase suggests you will be there for an extended period and you want to be certain it is the right place for you.

Realtor
Let's face it, you are strapped for time and orientation is just around the corner. Looking for all the available homes would be impossible without a realtor who's job is to help you find the right place. Our lender helped us find a realtor and we have been running ever since.

Know what your home must have so your realtor can narrow down the listings. We chose to have at least three bedrooms and two baths. The garage was not mandatory, but it would be nice for storage purposes. Having the proper hook-ups for a washer and dryer were the other must as the coin laundry gets really expensive. Other things to consider would be cabinetry, appliances, basement, landscaping, backyard and remodeled features.

Walk Through
Since you will be eating, sleeping and studying in your new home, you had better like it. Take time to actually walk through the home yourself or have someone you know do it in your place. If you are out of town, the realtor could take pictures of the home and email them for your approval.

We drove to Las Vegas and stayed with family over Memorial Day weekend. Our realtor sought out homes to visit and we spent a couple days looking at various locations, properties and options (condominiums and houses). This visit was valuable as we could see the homes and their respective neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the real estate market is moving fast and the homes we tried to obtain were already sold by the end of the weekend. This only emphasizes the need to start early.

Many of the homes on the market today are repossessed by banks as foreclosures. The savings can be extremely valuable. In fact, the only homes that we visited were foreclosed as they were in good condition, newer models, and most importantly in our price range. For example the home we are currently looking to buy has been reduced in price by more than $100,000 in less than three years!

Buying Your New Home
So you have finally found the home you like. Your realtor and lender will do most of the difficult paperwork and organizing your offers to the seller. Once accepted they work out the details necessary to close in a timely manner and you make your move into your new home.

Any day now we will be hearing back from the bank as to whether our offer was accepted. It is stressful not knowing if we need to keep looking for other homes or if we can start planning our move in its entirety. In the meantime, wish us luck and happy hunting!

Moving

Is it already time to pick up the house and move? It can definitely be one of the most stressful events of the year. With a little planning, a lot of cardboard, and helpful hands, your move can be rather painless. As my hands will be full the day of my move, I decided to discuss the topic early.

Plan Ahead
Some medical schools offer relocation allowances for new students. Unfortunately, TUNCOM is not among them. Before finalizing reservations, contact your school to determine the allowance they offer, as they may require the use of a particular service.

Although my move is not planned for another two months, it was necessary to ensure a vehicle would be reserved for the big day. Depending on the time of the month, rates will change according to demand. Commonly the busy days are Fridays or Weekends near the end of the month. Agencies will rent moving space or trucks with little or no prior notice, but be prepared to pay significantly more. A reservation can usually be canceled with no penalties if your service is given 48 hours notice.

Movers
In searching for a moving company, there are many options and it is wise to shop around. Compare some of the major companies, their offered discounts, and options. Below are some notable commercial movers and a few pros and cons:

• Ryder- 15% discount when reserved online, few locations
  
• U-Haul- 3 days, 500 miles included, poor customer service, old fleet
  
• U-Pack/ABF- they drive, gas price included, 10% discount
  
• Budget- 3 days, 10% online discount, limited miles
  
• Penske- 4 days, unlimited miles, ~20% discount (online only), new fleet
  

What Size Mover?
Knowing how much space is needed may be difficult to determine without a little help. Penske has a great tool they call the Truck Loading Wizard, which helps calculate the appropriate size truck for your move.

Insurance
Some auto agencies will cover you during your move. Contact your agent to learn if this is the case, if not, you may consider purchasing moving insurance. This is often provided as a service through the moving company.

Timing
Give yourself adequate time to pack your belongings and load the truck. Start early packing boxes, dismantling furniture, and discarding unwanted objects. If you intend to sell furniture or other items, list them well in advance to ensure they are sold by the time of your move. The more you have packed before your truck arrives, the less stress you will have to incur.

Here's to happy moving!