I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!$254.78 Starting Balance
+_66.00 Coin Jar, Egg Money, Farm Sales
+_10.00 Weekly Deposit
------------------------
$330.78 New Balance
$5669.22 to go.
I went ahead and added in tomorrow's auto deposit so I didn't have to do two separate posts. The cost of the vet tech program my daughter wants to do is $1500 per semester, so a total of $6000 for 4 semesters. It is a work at your own pace online college, fully accredited. You have 18 months to complete each semester. She wants to start in the fall, so of course my first goal is to hit the $1500 mark.
We have been lax on college savings. We used to have some money saved up, but when we paid off all of our debts we used that money, since DD had no clue what she wanted to do after high school and for a time we weren't even sure she would graduate or go to school at all. DH has used some of it on his education, too.
I'm not terribly worried about it. I'm more concerned with saving up for our down payment and our retirement and staying debt free than our kids' college. College is less and less a good deal for the student, saddling them with mountains of debt and not ensuring them of a good job when they get out anymore. Especially if they get the useless degrees so many kids get. In fact the cynical part of me is viewing college and its massive loans as part of the government's way of keeping money coming into the federal coffers while keeping average citizens as a debt slave for the next 30 years of their lives. Add to that the nastiness going on at many universities these days and I'm not sure I want my kids to have any part of it.
My son will go to the local technical college for engineering, which will save us vast amounts of money and likely end him up with a job as good as the one DH has, with all the nepotism and connections DH can use where he works to land the kid a job in his field.
So for now I will be putting all coin jar money, egg sales, and other farm sales money in the College Fund as well as any extra money I end up with from the grocery budget that carries over from the previous week. That usually goes into the coin jar until I can make a deposit. I'll probably add a line item to the budget as well of $100 a month. We'll have enough when the time comes as long as I keep focus on it.
College Fund and Musings
November 19th, 2015 at 07:05 am
November 19th, 2015 at 01:09 pm 1447938582
The random violence going on at college is disturbing, but the average college student is probably as safe as any of us are who are going about our daily rounds. Violence is everywhere; the wackos are anyone.
November 19th, 2015 at 02:54 pm 1447944887
My older daughter is not going to college; she is a senior. My younger daughter (a junior) is also planning to pursue the vet tech assistant here at the local college. My sons are a few years off from college - 8th, 6th, 5th grades - so I'm not sure what their ultimate plans will be.
Looking forward to following your daughter's progress in VTA program!
November 19th, 2015 at 03:24 pm 1447946657
Since her program is online, does your daughter plan to get a job while going to school? It would be good for her bank account AND her resume to come out of training with some real life work experience doing something. Even a few years waiting tables shows an employer that you've been reliable, show up to work, etc.
November 19th, 2015 at 07:04 pm 1447959866
November 20th, 2015 at 05:07 am 1447996066