"Must-Have" Back-To-School Essentials: A Buyer's Guide

The best and the brightest of this year's back to school shopping.

If you're like most parents, back to school shopping pretty much stopped being fun once you started footing the bill.

But why should kids have all the fun with new clothes and the latest gadgets?

We've got the inside scoop on all the must-have goodies helping you be productive, stay motivated, and get ahead of the (virtual) class.

A Brand Spanking New Laptop or Desktop PC

If you can afford it, splurge on a new workstation that is dedicated for homework use only.

By keeping a separate machine devoted strictly to school, you can be better focused on your academic tasks, such as writing a paper or participating in a classroom discussion. By having your own machine, you can avoid competing with your kids (who want to instant message their friends all night) and your e-mail checking spouse.

Ensure the computer you intend to use for your online courses meets the minimum computer requirements as recommended by your school.

Expect to spend in the neighborhood of $1,000.00 for a new laptop or around $500.00 for a desktop model. Computers in this price range should be sufficient and meet all your online learning needs.

TIP! Check out CNET Editors' Laptop Buying Guide or Desktop Buying Guide or PC World's "How to Buy a Laptop" for easy-to-read advice on selecting a computer that's right for you and your budget.

iRobot Scooba® Floor Washing Robot

Life is all about compromising.

When you're adding online courses to the mix, something's got to give. Keeping your house as tidy as Martha Stewart's is a good thing—to let slide.

But if you can't bear the thought of "letting things go," then consider "the world's first floor-washing robot." Mopping is a thankless chore, so let this nifty little gadget clean and dry your hardwood, tile, and linoleum floors.

As an added bonus, this little thing is very entertaining to watch. Take care not to get mesmerized and swept away; you're supposed to be studying!

Another member of the iRobot family is the Roomba® Vacuuming Robot, which is also designed to take over boring, dirty tasks. The Scooba® is $299.00 and up, while the Roomba® starts at $119.00. Save money by looking for remanufactured versions.

TIP! Feel the need to customize your Roomba®? Treat your hard-working robot to a costume from MyRoomBud.com.

Black & Decker 5-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker

Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos once said, "In Seattle, you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running."

Caffeine, a mild stimulant found in coffee, tea, and soda, can help you feel more awake and alert.

A typical eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains eighty-five milligrams of caffeine—just enough to get you through the occasional late- or all-nighter.

A five-cup capacity coffee maker is perfect for individuals and smaller households. Bonus feature: you can set it to have a fresh pot of coffee first thing in the morning.

Available online for $24.99 from Amazon.com and other retailers nationwide.

TIP! For the best possible cup of coffee, use the highest-quality water possible when brewing your coffee. Starbucks uses triple-filtered water when preparing their java drinks, but you can get away with spring water or a water pitcher with built-in filter kept in your refrigerator.

Nintendo® Wii Console

Thankfully, this year's must-have gaming console featuring wireless, motion-sensitive controllers is not just for hardcore gamers. At $250.00 retail, it has outsold the pricier Sony PlayStation 3, but quickly flies off retailers' shelves.

Just remember to look for Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESBR) ratings to ensure games are age-appropriate:

EVERYONE (E): Ages six and older, with minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Note: About fifty-four percent of games fall into the E category.
EVERYONE 10+: Ages ten and older with more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.
TEEN: Ages thirteen and older, with violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood and/or infrequent use of strong language.

TIP! Check out GameFly.com, a Netflix-like video game rental service that starts at $8.95 per month.

USB Flash Jump Drive

Dealing with temperamental CD-R drives and easily-scratched CD-ROMs are a massive inconvenience. For as little as $25.00, you can upgrade to a USB jump drive.

These small, portable plug-and-play portable storage device use flash memory to make transferring data between more than one computer easy and simple.

They are also ideal for online learners to use for personal data storage and backing up files.

How much memory do you need? A 256 MB flash drive is probably sufficient for your needs—it will hold the equivalent of a few hours worth of MP3s or a few hundred Microsoft Word documents. If your budget allows up, go for a one gigabyte device.

TIP! Though a bit lengthy, check out Matt Woodward's review of ten great USB 2.0 Hi-speed Flash drive contenders.

Noise Canceling Headphones

Silence is golden.

Nothing is more annoying than trying to work with excessive noise in the background. It can be difficult to study as the kids relax in front of the television, or as your spouse chats loudly, catching up with a friend on the telephone.

Let the world around you fade into mute with a pair of quality noise canceling headphones.

By shutting out unwanted noise around you, including jet engines, office printers, or idle cell phone chatter, you can create a quieter environment so you can concentrate better and work more efficiently.

An added benefit of these headphones is that they're great for traveling. Consider times when you've been on a train or airplane, attempting to rest despite your neighbor's rustling and chatter. CNET.com's article, "The sound of silence," offers great insight into their top picks.

TIP! Curious how this baby works? Check out "How Noise Canceling Headphones Work" on HowStuffWorks.com.

APA/MLA Formatting Software

Believe or not, but you can spend as much time to correctly reference any resources you used to write a research paper as you did to write the actual paper itself.

(You know how to conduct online research, right? No? Click here.)

Trust us: it's incredibly frustrating to lose points on a solid paper due to silly formatting mistakes.

If you don't know the difference between footnotes and endnotes, or MLA and APA style, and don't care, you should seriously consider investing at least $20 in software that will make formatting a breeze.

We like StyleEase for APA Style ($35.00 - $45.00), RefWorks (a one year, individual subscription is $100.00), or Dr. Paper ($19.99 - $29.99).

TIP! Too cheap to buy the software? Fair enough. Do search on Google.com for "APA formatting style" or "MLA formatting style" for free examples and help. Also check with your school's writing center to see what services they offer.

FREE Must-Have Tools and Resources

Google Toolbar — http://toolbar.google.com/ — Quickly and efficiently perform all your Internet searches from your favorite browser.
Del.icio.us — http://del.icio.us/ — A Web-based way to keep track of all your important bookmarked Web sites.
Ottobib.com — http://ottobib.com/ — Give it an ISBN number and Ottobib will create a bibliography for you!