One day a semester for the past three semesters, a grant check has appeared in my mailbox here at the Collegian, and with it comes an explanatory letter.

Part of the note states the Collegian "intends that you will use this scholarship to pay for or offset payments for the following Qualified Expenses incurred during the school year," and tuition and books are among the qualified expenses.

Now that my two years I've worked for the Collegian are down to their final hours, I figure this would be as good a time as any to come clean with what I've deemed qualified expenses.

10. $635, 32 inch Insignia LCD television

My first check came in the spring semester of 2008, and it came unexpectedly given I was in my first semester on staff and the amount of scholarships available was dwindling.

So like any financially responsible college student would do, I went out and spent the entire check -- and then some -- on a TV and other equipment.

The decision was even easier with March Madness beginning the next week.

But despite the picture quality, crowding around the 12-inch office television to watch the tournament with sometimes dozens of other staff members seemed like a better place to catch the latest upset.

9. $94 cab ride, Columbus, Ohio

Granted, five or six pitched in on the tab, but that didn't ease the frustration any more than when a cab driver took a group of us to the wrong Crowne Plaza Hotel in Columbus, Ohio.

Those of us covering the Penn State-Ohio State football game the next day went out Friday night, and we called a taxi to get back to our hotel. He dropped us off and peeled away before we were in the lobby and realized the mistake, which resulted in the most expensive taxi this side of New York City.

8. Unknown, parking tickets

The amount I've paid to the university parking police over the past two years can't be calculated. The convenience of parking downtown in university-owned lots more than outweighs the time it would take to catch a CATA bus back to the Bryce Jordan Center, where my car is supposed to be parked when I come to the office.

All I know is after I recently paid off three tickets, I received a check in the mail a week later for $9 because I had overpaid.

7. $275, BlackBerry Curve 8300

No, this wasn't for me.

Instead, it was for one of my roommates, whose week-old BlackBerry had been mistaken for a chew toy by my dog.

Despite paying it off, I still felt bad about it until a month or so later when my roommate, Missy, called and said the picture on my TV had gone out after she threw a water bottle at her fiancé in a playful fight.

It would have been on target if her fiancé hadn't ducked.

I only wished the warranty on her phone was as good as the warranty on my television, which was replaced at no cost.

6. Unknown, downtown restaurants

I have no doubt one of the reasons State College has avoided a recession is because of the amount of money I've spent at nearly every downtown restaurant.

Buying your own groceries doesn't work too well when your fall is filled with 60- to 70-hour weeks covering the football team. This semester, when I've worked desk, one of the unwritten rules seems to be you and whomever you're working with all eat together.

5. $5 cover, party in Syracuse

Travis Johnson and myself, along with photographers Abby Drey and Meagan Kanagy, drove to New York to cover the Syracuse game.

One of the guys I interned with last summer at the Harrisburg Patriot-News attends Syracuse, so I called him to catch up and he invited us to a party he was going to Friday night.

I paid the $5 cover, but the concept of paying to go to a house party didn't sit well with Travis, who objected and was kicked out.

4. At least $80, Iowa casinos

When another member of the beat said he found some Indian casinos not far from Des Moines, Iowa, my ears perked up and he invited me along.

I thought I'd show restraint by only losing $20, but blackjack claimed that in seconds. Agitated by how quickly I lost, I took out another $60 -- plus $2.50 in ATM surcharges -- and continued playing for a couple of hours, which was enough to leave me satisfied despite being able to walk away at one point with $150 in profit.

3. Gas money, Pasadena, Calif.

The week-and-a-half I spent in Pasadena, Calif., covering the Rose Bowl remains a highlight for the stories as much as the tradition and glamour of the bowl itself.

Our rental car was this bright yellow PT Cruiser, and we stopped early in the trip to fill up. A homeless guy sitting under a bridge spots us and rides his bicycle -- which didn't have rims on the tires -- a few hundred feet.

"Nice ride," he says. "I'm Sonny. I'm not an alcoholic, but I'm hungry. Do you have some extra money?"

Only a homeless guy riding a bike without rims could have been envious of anyone driving a bright yellow PT Cruiser through downtown Los Angeles for 10 days.

As for Nos. 1 and 2, well, my bank account has about run dry.

But at least I've got the memories.