Marketing of “green” products and services is increasing perhaps more than any other segment. While many of these products and services are legitimately geared towards green initiatives, others are just coming along for the ride.

You may have heard that “green is the new black.” The difference is that there are no shades of black, but there are many shades of green. That’s because the use of the word “green” is not regulated in advertising. Some industries have made the investment to develop standards, so that only those members meeting the standard can use the industry green seal of approval, but such programs are not yet widespread. Even where they do exist, members not meeting the standard could still call themselves green.

Sometimes it can be hard to divine a company’s true intention. Some people might not even care what the reason is, as long as some good comes from it. So it may be more important to consider whether or not the greening of a product is actually beneficial to the environment or rather just an attempt to capitalize on the latest fad.

All of this matters because you, as a consumer, may consider the relative environmental friendliness of a company when making purchasing decisions. Regardless of your opinions about the importance of environmental protection, I’m sure that most would agree that all other things being equal, choosing a more environmentally friendly product is a good decision. Such a decision can be skewed if green marketing tricks you into choosing a product that isn’t really as green as it seems.

Whether you choose green products only when they are comparable in price to non-green alternatives or are willing to pay a premium for them, don’t blindly accept claims of a product being green. If you are going to be spending money on such products and services, you should first consider whether it’s the actual product, or just the marketing, that’s green.

Waiting until the last possible minute to make a necessary purchase will usually end up costing you more. Discretionary spending often sees quite the opposite effect. Planning appropriately in both cases will have the highest likelihood of success.

When you procrastinate in making a necessary purchase, you slowly lose control of the price you are going to pay. Early on, you may have the luxury of being able to comparison shop and wait a little while until a better deal comes along. As time progresses, your options become more and more limited. When you get to the point that you have to make a purchase, you likely have to pay whatever price is asked of you just to satisfy your need. How often have we spent more than we intended just to have a gift in time for a birthday or similar timed event?

Discretionary spending offers more flexibility because you rarely have a hard deadline for the purchase. Even if you delay the purchase, you could always wait even longer if the price wasn’t favorable. You may even decide not to make the purchase at all. For many products, particularly new technology, prices come down over time.

Let’s consider an example for an upcoming trip. In one case, you need an airline ticket to get to your sister’s wedding. In the other, you’d like to go on vacation soon. If you book your trip to the wedding a day or two before you need to be there, you could be in for a big surprise. While it is possible that you’ll get a good deal if the flight you want isn’t very full, the much more likely scenario is that you’ll end up paying whatever fare you can get because you have to be at the wedding. If the price was more than you could afford, you may even borrow money or charge it just to be sure that you were able to attend. In the second case, you could choose whatever destination had flights that weren’t very full or whichever deal looked best. If no deals looked good, you might simply wait and try again next week.

Many other types of purchases follow a similar pattern. The more specific the item and necessity to obtain it, the more you are probably going to spend. Of particular importance is to avoid overspending for discretionary items because you confuse them with a necessity. If you can live with an alternative, have no pressing need for the specific item, or can skip the purchase altogether, you’ll probably end up paying less. If none of those situations apply, then purchasing early is likely the best way to go.

The time is here, the time is now. The air of summer is nibbling at the ears of millions of college kids across the nation, and a rising hum of anticipation is heard among a student populace itching for a change of season, a change of pace, a change of something...

One thing is for certain. There will be long lists and long lines, not of enrollment but of young people eager to land the summer job or internship of their dreams. What better way to spend the summer than earning while learning, and having lots of fun?

Plan.

Before starting out on your quest for gainful employment, take a long hard look at how you really want to spend your summer. What are you interested in and what type of work will you be happy doing? How many hours are you willing to give each day? Are you in this to have fun, or money? Are you doing this for future career experience? If so, which kind? Career assessment tools will help you narrow down your choices in your search for the perfect summer job.

You'll also have to ask yourself where you might want to work. On campus? Off campus? Out of state? In another country? Yes, it is possible. There are various opportunities for those who know where to look.

Act quickly.

Don’t wait until classes actually end for the search to begin. By that time, all the coveted gigs will have been landed by the most enterprising early birds.

Ask for help.

The Career Services Office in your college is a good source of information, advice and valuable resources to jumpstart you on your way to becoming part of the summer workforce. Websites like NetMentors.Org will connect you with people who can guide you in your job hunt. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Search.

Keep your eyes peeled for want ads in newspapers and community bulletin boards which on any given day have full-time or part-time work prospects. The Career Services Office can provide you with job listings in different areas of interests. Try the business and service directory at your local Chamber of Commerce for interesting leads to where you might want to work.

Browse for summer jobs, internships, summer camp jobs, and even part-time job websites. Sites like groovejob.com, The Job Box, JobDoggy.com, MyFirstPaycheck.com, MyFuture.com, Snag A Job, Student Part-time Jobs, Summer Jobs, and TeenJobSection.com are excellent resources for summer job seekers. You can land fun summer gigs that may come with free meals, discounts, and hold your breath… even free hotel accommodations!

It helps to pound the pavement looking for those ‘Help Wanted’ signs, applying in person, and completing applications where jobs are available. Some employers don't advertise job openings, ask anyway.

Spread the word.

Tell all your family, friends and acquaintances that you’re in the market for some serious summer employment. Networking is one of the most effective ways to land a gig.

There are lots of choices.

Are you the outdoorsy type who loves to hike a trail or camp in the wilderness? You can be a camp counselor. Although the pay may not be that high, if you enjoy working with children and have special skills to share, like crafts, theater, a sport, or arts, you will have an easier time landing this type of job.

If you love travel and the great outdoors, national and state parks are always on the lookout for seasonal park rangers or hiking guides. The National Park Service hires over 3,000 summer workers annually to staff 370 parks all over the country, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. These jobs usually entail free room and board, and are usually snapped up pretty fast. You can get a list of parks in your area and their addresses from the Federal and State Departments of the Interior.

You can travel the world on cruise ships, but be prepared to work long and hard hours. You can also enjoy long road trips like college kids who get paid 35 cents a mile to deliver specialty or recreational vehicles, such as RVs and vans from the manufacturing plants to car dealerships. Summer is a busy time for over 3,800 transportation companies like Horizon Transport or Morgan Driveaway, and what do you know, peak season for these dealers coincides with summer vacation. Have a driver’s license? You can travel coast-to-coast and deliver vehicles for big bucks.

Construction work takes a lot of effort and energy but the pay is high, and if you want to work in the food industry, you needn't settle for the common waiter or waitress. There are lots of other flexible positions like cashier, cook, bartender, busperson, dishwasher, host or hostess, and even manager. While these jobs are easier to land, some jobs require previous experience, like being a bank teller or working in a banking firm. For these much coveted positions, you'll need to send in your resumes much earlier in the year.

Another summer staple are amusement parks which beef up their staff every summer to fill positions for booth operators, grounds assistants, security, ride operators and commission stand handlers. Apart from the pay, employees may even be entitled to free park admission for family or guests, and discounts on merchandise sold on the premises.

Do you see your future in public service? Apply as an intern for summer government jobs in your state. You can visit your local State Employment Office or submit your resumes at the Federal Agency where you wish to work. Remember that the search for internship positions in the government is very competitive.

Pay and hours for jobs in health care may vary depending on whether you choose to work as a clinic receptionist, a lab technician, a dietitian's assistant, or take a custodial post in a nursing home. Museum and library internships will usually gain you a stipend, but there are paid positions available that are filled even before the first quarter of the year is out. You’ll need to act quickly if you want a shot at these jobs.

Try working in retail over the summer. Stores, malls and other retail outlets will usually rehire their summer workers during peak seasons like the holidays. Plus, as an employee, you get to enjoy discounts on the merchandise. The local community theater will always have room for summer job seekers, from acting, to backstage work, to publicity.

If you prefer to be the boss, think about starting your own business. Vive le entrepreneur! Hire out your skills as a landscape artist, t-shirt designer, dog-sitter, website engineer, lifeguard, caterer, house painter… The list is endless for the young and enterprising summer entrepreneur.

Get set: Applications and Interviews

Now that you've set your sights on your target, or targets, as the case may be, get ready to get into the nitty-gritty of making that job yours. The first and most important thing you have to do is research. Know more about your prospective employer, the history of the business, even its company mission.

Summer job? Absolutely! Not only will this make good practice for your future in the workforce after graduation, it’ll help you prep for the interview, and impress your soon-to-be boss on how well-equipped you are to start the job. Search the Web about your prospective employer, get a hold of company newsletters or fliers, make friends with people who already work there, and ask around.

Create your resume and cover letter. There are websites with step-by-step guides on you write your resume. Your college's Career Service Office (CSO) may even have a copy of How to Write a Resume and Cover Letter. Also, don't worry about it if you happen to have limited "previous work experience." Everyone has to start somewhere.

When applying online for a job, always remember to attach your resume. If you’re walking in yourself, have your resume on hand. Don’t forget to have a list of references from your previous work, even if it’s from a baby-sitting or volunteer job.

While employers usually don't require an interview to hire someone over the summer, be prepared to do a dialog with your future boss about your work history and how it may have helped prepare you to do the job you're angling for. Practice an interview set-up with your career counselor, or with your friends. It will build your confidence for the actual thing.

Look the part. Whether you’ll be interviewed or not, make sure you dress appropriately: neatly and tidy. Try not to look like you’re auditioning for a bit part in a zombie B-movie.... unless of course, you actually are.

Remember that small gestures always count to make a great impression. Send a 'thank-you' note after the interview. It'll keep you in the employer's mind longer, and score more points in your favor.

Got the job? Congratulations!

Keep one foot in the future by asking your boss for a written reference at the end of your summer job or internship. It will make a great addition to your growing resume.

It’s long been known that using credit cards can cost you more, because of the interest and fees associated with their use. It also isn’t surprising that many people spend more when using credit. In some cases, though, the amount of the transaction may make cash a costlier option.

The reasons why we spend more when using credit are threefold. First, if we carry a balance on our credit cards, even spending the same amount will cost more using credit because of the interest we pay on the purchase. Second, the abstract nature of using credit disconnects us from the pain of spending cash. We may not consider what we’re spending because a swipe of the credit card for an expensive purchase is just as easy as for an inexpensive one. Third, using credit allows us to make purchases that we wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. Many of us have higher credit limits than cash available for purchases, so it follows that using credit may lead to added spending.

The other side of the equation is the phenomenon that I’m sure we’re all familiar with. Once we break a large bill, it seems like the change we receive quickly gets spent. I can walk around with a twenty-dollar bill in my wallet for weeks at a time, but once it’s broken, the tens, fives, or singles that I get back seem to quickly disappear. If you carry a balance on your credit card, then making small purchases with your card could get very expensive due to the interest charged on those purchases. But if you’re like me and pay off your balance every month, you might be better off charging small purchases to avoid breaking large bills. I have gotten so used to this practice that I hardly even carry cash anymore. Again, this only works if you pay off your balance in full every month.

When budgeting, many people focus on minimizing either the small recurring expenses (like a daily coffee) or the large expenses (like high interest credit card debt). Both are important and reducing both types will prove to be the most effective. In a similar way, how we spend more may vary depending on the amount of the transaction. Some people may be better off always using cash, while others may find a mix of cash and credit to be the best fit.

Which causes you to spend more in each scenario?

Your credit score is the most important factor in determining what rate you will pay when you borrow money. Your credit score, quite simply, could cost or save you hundreds or thousands of dollars a year, depending on how much debt you have.

Lenders view your credit score as a representation of your creditworthiness or how likely you are to repay debt. What many people do not realize is how many different credit scores there actually are. Credit scores are derived from many components in a credit report including the length of your credit history, your total current debt, recent credit inquiries, and the number of late payments or defaults you have made.

Here is a short overview of the the most common credit scores:

FICO Score

FICO is the most commonly used credit score and has been in use since the 1970s. As previously discussed here on the Lending Club blog, FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation, which is the company that created credit scores. A credit score is based primarily on a credit report. There are three different credit bureaus that produce credit reports – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Creditors choose what bureau(s) they want to report to and often only report to one or two of the bureaus. As a result, an individual can have three different FICO scores because the bureaus have information that is inconsistent with each other, in addition to the fact that they use different formulas. In fact, according to myfico.com, "30% (of people) have FICO scores that vary by as much as 50 points across their three scores." FICO scores range from 300-850.

VantageScore

This is a new scoring model created in 2006 by the three major credit reporting companies. Like FICO scores, VantageScores can vary across the three credit agencies, but according to the FAQ, "gaps among the results generated via VantageScore are diminished because the credit scoring model itself and the underlying credit characteristics in the algorithm are the same at all three CRCs." VantageScores range from 501 to 990.

Experian PLUS score

Experian claims to use a "similar" formula as other lenders when calculating their PLUS score, where PLUS stands for Plan, Live, Understand, Succeed. A PLUS score ranges from 330 to 830. Note: The Experian PLUS score is different than the Experian Scorex PLUS, which is not available for consumer purchase.

TransUnion TransRisk Account Credit Score

The proprietary TransUnion score ranges from 300 to 900. TransUnion also offers separate Home and Auto Scores which range from 150 to 950.

Equifax Score Power

This is the name Equifax gives to the FICO score based on Equifax's credit report.

It is important to note that even if the score ranges are similar, the score themselves are not comparable. A 760 FICO score is not the same as a 760 Vantage Score or a 760 PLUS score.

In addition to all these scores, there are some other custom models which may emphasize a particular part of a credit report.

While you can get your credit report for free once a year, you must pay an additional charge to see your credit score. If you decide to pay the fee to see your credit report, make sure you are ordering the one you need.