Looking to save big bucks? Hire a student!
RENTON, Wash. -- Everyone's looking for ways to save money. Here's one simple way to save on everything from fixing your car to getting your hair cut.
Hire a student.
For students at Renton Technical College, rebuilding the brakes is a learning laboratory. For the car's owner, it's a bargain.
The school charges for parts plus 25% -- not the standard $100 an hour for labor you'll pay at many retail mechanics.
The tradeoff is time.
"The car is done when it's done," says instructor Gary Neill.
"Students occasionally don't show up on time, they may misdiagnose things, so we can run into a number of problems along the way."
But the shop isn't hurting for customers. And just a short walk away is a bustling student-run bakery, with everything from fine pastries to bread.
Giant cookies are 60 cents. Croissants are 70 cents. And they take special orders, cranking out a couple wedding or birthday cakes every weekend.
"Depending on where the students are and how involved the decoration is, but for a comparable cake, we're at about 50% of our competitors as far as cost goes," says RTC's Professional Baking Instructor Kim Smith.
Want to go even lower than half price? Take a snip out of your haircut. In 30 years of business, BJ's Beauty and Barber College of Tacoma and Puyallup has never raised the price of a haircut.
It's just $5. They are especially busy now.
"When they're trying to make budget cuts, no pun intended, they come for a haircut here because it's a reasonable price," BJ Boyer explains.
BJ's even cuts hair for unemployed people and their families for free.
The free cuts are available at the Tacoma location on Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. For more information, go to BJ's Beauty and Barber College Web site
An Internet search will help you find other cosmetology schools near you, offering reduced prices for haircuts, massage and other spa treatments.
Finding a student to hire isn't always easy, because schools aren't out to compete with private businesses, so they don't advertise. And services offered often depend on the current curriculum.
For example, if auto repair students are focusing on brakes, you might not be able to get an engine repair.
Click here for a list of community and technical colleges in Washington.
Either go to the school's Web site or call their public affairs office to find out which departments have students for hire.
The range can include flower arranging to web design, and dental care to dog grooming.
In Kirkland, Lake Washington Technical College has their services online. You can find it at www.lwtc.edu and click on Community Mall.
And here's information on pricing and availability at Renton Technical College.
Hire a student.
For students at Renton Technical College, rebuilding the brakes is a learning laboratory. For the car's owner, it's a bargain.
The school charges for parts plus 25% -- not the standard $100 an hour for labor you'll pay at many retail mechanics.
The tradeoff is time.
"The car is done when it's done," says instructor Gary Neill.
"Students occasionally don't show up on time, they may misdiagnose things, so we can run into a number of problems along the way."
But the shop isn't hurting for customers. And just a short walk away is a bustling student-run bakery, with everything from fine pastries to bread.
Giant cookies are 60 cents. Croissants are 70 cents. And they take special orders, cranking out a couple wedding or birthday cakes every weekend.
"Depending on where the students are and how involved the decoration is, but for a comparable cake, we're at about 50% of our competitors as far as cost goes," says RTC's Professional Baking Instructor Kim Smith.
Want to go even lower than half price? Take a snip out of your haircut. In 30 years of business, BJ's Beauty and Barber College of Tacoma and Puyallup has never raised the price of a haircut.
It's just $5. They are especially busy now.
"When they're trying to make budget cuts, no pun intended, they come for a haircut here because it's a reasonable price," BJ Boyer explains.
BJ's even cuts hair for unemployed people and their families for free.
The free cuts are available at the Tacoma location on Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. For more information, go to BJ's Beauty and Barber College Web site
An Internet search will help you find other cosmetology schools near you, offering reduced prices for haircuts, massage and other spa treatments.
Finding a student to hire isn't always easy, because schools aren't out to compete with private businesses, so they don't advertise. And services offered often depend on the current curriculum.
For example, if auto repair students are focusing on brakes, you might not be able to get an engine repair.
Click here for a list of community and technical colleges in Washington.
Either go to the school's Web site or call their public affairs office to find out which departments have students for hire.
The range can include flower arranging to web design, and dental care to dog grooming.
In Kirkland, Lake Washington Technical College has their services online. You can find it at www.lwtc.edu and click on Community Mall.
And here's information on pricing and availability at Renton Technical College.