Welcome to UT Family Programs

Lonely Planet gives you good information about almost anything, for example about time zones, electricity and weights and measures. Check out their website at www.lonelyplanet.com.

Bills and Coins

The bills are all the same color and size. There are $1, $5, $10, $20 and higher. Coins can be confusing because some of them have two names and their size does not indicate their relative value.

1¢	penny or cent	The coin of smallest value, equal to 1/100 of a dollar. Five pennies equal a nickel
5¢	nickel	Large; easily confused with the quarter.
10¢	dime	Smallest of the coins.
25¢	quarter	This coin is larger than the nickel but easy to mistake for it.
50¢	half dollar	There is also a coin, somewhat larger than a quarter and easily recognized, and a
$1	dollar or buck	There are a silver dollar, which is similar in size to a quarter but octagonal in shape rather than perfectly round, and a bronze-colored round dollar, often given as change in postal service machines or highway toll booths.

It is a good idea to keep considerable change on hand, for places such as the bus. Bus drivers are not allowed to make change in many cities. Keep small-value bills with you. Taxi drivers and some store clerks will not change anything larger than a $5 bill (most super market check-outs will).

If anyone tries to sell you an item over the telephone, just say "No, thank you," and hang up without any further conversation. All sorts of things may be offered. They will try to tempt you with every kind of prize, free demonstration, or gift. Don't fall for it! Reputable firms rarely use this technique for selling -- any more than they use door-to-door salesmen. Newcomers to the United States should take no chances with telephone salesmen. It could be expensive to do so.

If you want to avoid telemarketers, who call and try to sell you something, you can sign up for Texas No-Call Lists on their website, http://www.texasnocall.com. The cost is $2.40 for five years of peace -- it's well worth it!

If you want to find new and used books at the lowest price, go to www.fetchbook.info. The site compares the prices of books at 72 stores and 40,000 booksellers.

You can also visit http://www.booksprice.com. This website offers a free innovative service to find the best price when you purchase several books together. (Multiple Book Price Comparison).