Investing in my kids #college #collegefund

I want to state up front that kids don't have to go to college to have a great career.  However, some fields do require that extra push to get a good placement.  That said, when my guys were little, my husband and I started Coverdell savings accounts for them for college.  We didn't invest a lot each month, but it was something.  With rising college costs, I'm really glad we did it.

For both of my kids, they take care of tuition.  Husband and I will do room/board while they're attending.  For my son (at KSU), this has worked out well.  After Hope, his spending account will cover almost all of the tuition he has to pay.  For my daughter (at GCSU), hers won't last quite as long. Primarily because her tuition is a bit higher than her brother's.  She also is receiving the Hope.

Both keep looking for additional scholarships to assist in the fees.  My son is caught in the catch-22 that is you can't get a job without experience, but you can't get experience without a job.  Daughter will have a problem with the job thing as she's a Theater major which means a lot of time spent with rehearsals and such.

At any rate, as a recommendation to friends/family/readers with young ones, invest in the savings account.  Even if they don't go to college they could go to a trade school.  The funds will go a long way to either..

Preparation for college dorm life #daughter #GCSU

Not even going into the mental preparation that I'm going to have to make in order to get her to college, there's the actual preparation of STUFF that has to be made.  School is costly enough, without having to worry about "everything else".  So where ever possible I'm thrifting her supplies.  It's a combination of ways and places to thrift. 

I tend to "surf" Goodwill stores.  These have been getting more pricey the last year or so, so it's one you have to watch the prices on.  For example, I went to get a plastic basket that they had priced for 0.99.  However, flipping the basket over, I found the original price tag of 0.50.   Hmm..  Anyway, I found some sheets and some storage containers at Goodwill.

Estate sales can be a pain.  The good ones have lines that start long before the sale begins.  So it's kind of like going yard saling with more to "find".  I've found towels, a printer ($20), a vacuum ($8) and miscellaneous other items this way.

Online sales are ones you just have to be patient for.  Amazon Prime days are next week, so I'll be watching those.  Woot is also having a birthday sale soon, so I'll watch that one too.  I picked up a rug ($10 w/shipping) for her dorm from ThinkGeek's closeout sale.

School supplies, though, I pretty much already have on hand.  When the kids were younger I'd hit the Staples/Office Depot sales and get pencils/paper etc for a penny.  I still have a good bit of stock hidden away.

So, with the dorm stuff taken care of, now I can begin the mental prep for me.

Orientation Day #college #GeorgiaCollege

My daughter and I head off to campus for her orientation.  Not sure how I actually feel about this, but I guess it has to be done.

Campus Tours and college prep #GeorgiaCollege #daughter #HighSchoolSenior

I'm taking my daughter on her final campus tour today.  This one is the most likely candidate for her.  She still likes Wesleyan and Agnes Scott, but funds are a big factor.  It still won't be inexpensive.  Given the distance, she'll have to live on campus.  She isn't likely to have transportation, unless we get really lucky, so there's that too.  She starts her final year of high school in August, so now we have to work on what's next.

I'm not forcing my kids to go to college.  But, given their chosen areas to work in, it's hopefully beneficial.   I've done all I can to get them ready for stepping out, I only hope it's enough.  In the mean time, we're off to see what campus looks like and start the process for applications.

Visiting University of West Georgia #uwgpreviewday #gowestgowolves #visitwest

So, I'm still touring colleges with my son.  We went to their preview day Sunday to see the campus of the University of West Georgia and learn a bit more about it.  I'm reasonably impressed. I think my son was more interested in their Move on When Ready program (what used to be dual enrollment).  He has to process his thoughts on whether it'll make his top 5 list of collegsor not.  We have one more tour (GSU) in February, then his SAT in March.  From there we'll start figuring out his plans.  In the meantime, here's a few photos I took on the tour.

The mascot, Wolfie.

The climbing wall at the Campus Center and the cafeteria at East Commons.  My son was duly impressed by both.

These guys are all around campus and (from what we were told) around Carrollton as well.