Saving for college is very important IMO. I have a Dss at LSU. My husband and I make to much money for him to qualify for a grant. Parents’ income NOT THE CHILD’S is figured for grants until the age of 24. He works 30 to 40 hours a week and pays for his housing, insurance, food, vehicle maintenance and spending money. His books last semester were $775.00. Lab fees were $225.00 and then we had tuition. As long as he maintains a B average we will continue to pay for him to go there. If his grades fall below a B average there is a four-year college ½ an hour from our home he can go there.

My kids have never been given the impression that college is an option, it is a REQUIREMENT. Just like going from Jr. High to High School the next step is college. Be it a 4 year or 2 year degree they are expected to go to college. When I entered the work force working your way up the ranks without a degree was an option. After working for several large corporations I have seen that it is no longer an option in a lot of companies. The last company I worked for I saw people who had been with the company for 20 years passed over for upper management because they did not have a bachelor’s degree. They had all other qualification and could have done the job blindfolded but were not given the opportunity. This will become the norm not the exception in the future.

I am raising my kids to know the value of a dollar now. If a child doesn’t know the value of a dollar by the time they get to college I did something wrong a long time ago. “I told him that every kids are different but he keep insisting that when they go to college (farther away) they will get influence by their new found friends and stray away from the academic life to a party life.” Again if this happens I failed my kids a long time ago. These values should be instilled in them before JR. high NOT once they reach college.

That being said saving for retirement comes first. We pay into retirement before we pay anything else. This is our top priority. There have been times when all I could put into my kids college fund was the extra change we gathered in the wash and rebate checks but no matter how little or how much saving is very important. My dad bought savings bonds for all of his grandkids when they were born to start their college savings. They still receive savings bonds as gifts from time to time and it all goes toward college.

My husband retired from the military at 37. It was a hard 20 years and now has to start over in the civilian world because living off of a military retirement is not possible. Can you imagine how hard that would be without a college degree?

I think that if you can afford to put some money away for your child's education you should. We have 529 plans for both of them and a upromise account. The upromise account basically amounts to pocket change when you look at the larger picture but it might buy her books someday. They will definitely need to apply for loans, scholarships, work study as well. More than likely they will have to start at a community college to get the prereq stuff out of the way then transfer if they want to to a university.

I want my girls to value a college education so they never need to rely on a man to bring home a paycheck. I want them to be able to be financially independent if need be and this is just easier if you have a college education-even just a 2 year degree. Dh had a friend who wouldn't leave an abusive relationship because she had no means to support her children, it was very sad. dh helped her get help with a shelter in town.

Dh's half brother doesn't value education at all, therefore this dd's don't. One is 26, living at home still and working at McDonalds. I want my children to have a better life than me, and that's would be almost impossible without a college degree. I'm doing what I can to save for them. On the other hand I think if you only can afford to contribute towards a college fund or your future retirement, then I think you need to invest in retirement.

I'm seeing a lot of generalizations on both sides of the fence, and the truth is there is no right answer. A lot depends on the kid. I did not pay for my college, yet there were very high expectations placed on me & my siblings in terms of grades, so we all performed. My husband paid his own way thru school & he partied a lot more than me, and his grades reflect that. I knew the value of a dollar & I'm glad I didn't have to graduate w/ loans because my major did not come with high pay.

Other examples: my first husband worked thru college to pay his own way while living at home. His brother, who graduated high school with my husband because he had been held back a grade, also lived at home & the parents paid for his school. The reasoning? They knew Rob (my ex) was motivated & wanted it. They knew his brother would not bother w/ school if they didn't pay for it. Alot of good it did them. 20 years later & he's still a janitor.

Other ideas: compromise - nothing saying you can't save for college & if your kid earns a full scholarship you can put some of that money aside to help with a wedding, a downpayment for a home, or sock it back in your retirement account. Another idea - what my friends' parents did. While she lived at home in high school, they figured they were paying her room & board. So, when she went to college, they told her they would continue to pay her room & board in the dorms, and she had to pay the tuition. She's the only person I know who lived all 4 years in the dorms (most get student apartments at some point) but they didn't foot the bill 100%, she had to work hard to earn the tuition, but at least they HELPED.

A lot depends on the kid. Some are more motivated. Some kids are not the brightest bulbs and just CANNOT work and go to school at the same time. You might be able to. I might be able to. But some aren't that motivated, or can't compromise. I was told my job was school and I was not allowed to even have a part time job when I was in school, except for summers. So, I put everything into school as it was my job & that was the expectation. But different things work for different people. I'm not one for hard & fast rules.

This is how we feel as well. I'd like ds to get summer jobs but this will probably only cover his books and spending money. I'd prefer if he didn't work and go to school at the same time, I agree his 'job' is to do well in school.

I think that you also have to have high expectations of your children and usually they will live up to them. This isn't to say that we'll give ds the money on a silver platter ~ it is in our mutual funds and if he chooses to consider his education entertainment then we will tell him that he's being 'pulled'! Like I said though, I expect him to do well so I'd imagine that he would.

Had to edit to add that I in no way shape or form want ds to have to get student loans. What a way to start a young life, already in debt. No thank you. My dh and I had to pay off his student debt and that money definitely could have come in handy when we started our married life. Yet my in-laws had enough money for them to move into a brand new house three times as big as they needed.

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