The Best Grad Gift Is Not a Tablet, a Smartphone or An App

Online, June 5, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Those in search of the perfect gift for this year's graduates usually head for the latest digital device, but one mom of two college students says the best gift is an unplugged solution that gives them a simple system for managing the paperwork that comes with being an adult.

Susan M. Sparks is the author of The Student Life Jacket, The Easy-to-Use Organizer and Guide to Staying Afloat in a Sea of Paperwork for Young Working Adults and College Students.

Susan noticed that her son had papers he couldn't manage with a computer or smartphone app. There were piles of receipts, pay stubs and other paperwork littering the top of his dresser, his desk and the floor. They were both frustrated when he missed payments or incurred late fees. It was an unplugged solution that tipped the scale, a combination of how-to and where-to store it that gave him the confidence, independence and success in managing his bills and other important papers.

She knew it needed to be easy to follow; flexible, and explanatory, or her son wouldn't use it. The result is an organizer with a slice of motherly advice on everything from storing original documents to living with difficult roommates to the importance of thank you notes.

The idea for the binder system sprung from Susan's experience as a former military spouse. Moving several times, including two overseas stints, Susan devised a simple organizer to hand carry all the documents the family needed while their household goods were being shipped.

In addition to the binder categories and checklists, she wrote several pages of motherly advice on things like health and wellness, being responsible for a car and how to manage social obligations.

Sparks says the book is a great venue for parent and graduate to sit down together and work through topics such as money management, goals and long term organizational habits. It is available from the author's website: www.thestudentlifejacket.com or Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Student-Organizer-Staying-Paperwork-Students/dp/1467506559/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370457459&sr=8-2&keywords=%22The+Student+Life+Jacket%22