It’s that time of year again—a time of whining about essays, entrance exams, scholarship applications and other items of an academic nature. Of course, it’s pretty silly to whine about so many things that are strictly for your own benefit—particularly the ones that don’t cost anything!—but that hasn’t stopped prospective college students yet.

With November being National Scholarship Month, it’s a good time to start applying if you haven’t already. Scholarship money is free money, and shouldn’t be overlooked no matter what. Even if you think you’re getting money from a tutoring program, a test score, or from another source, apply for every scholarship you can to ensure that college is as affordable—possibly even as free—as it can be.

Use this National Scholarship Month Checklist to help save yourself as much money as you can on your education.

• Take the ACT or SAT, depending on what is required in your area. Ask your school counselor for more information. Retake it if you would like to try for a higher score or scholarship based on your score.
• Use the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to see if you are eligible for federal loans or grants.
• Search for scholarships every single month! Use your school counselor’s office, the website of the school(s) of your choice, as well as scholarship websites such as Fastweb.com.  It can be completed anytime after January 1 as long as you’re a college student or a high school senior.
• Verify your FAFSA information once you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR), which will arrive about a month after you complete your FAFSA.
• Sometimes local businesses will also offer scholarships. Check with your employer and any organizations that you or your parents belong to as well.
• Be sure to pay attention to deadlines. Mark them in your planner so you don’t miss them, and send in applications as soon as you finish them.
• Be wary of sites that claim to offer guaranteed free aid or ask for money to apply for a scholarship. If it sounds suspicious, it probably is; ask a counselor, teacher or parent for help if you need it.
• If your school or local library offers a financial aid presentation, attend it. Ask around to see when the next one will be.
• Once you have financial aid lined up, make sure you have everything you need and all of the qualifications met to maintain the aid package. Only take the aid you need, especially when it comes to loans.
• Continue applying even after you’re in college; as long as you need the funds, continue seeking aid.