How I’m Saving Early For My Kids’ College Tuition

I worked my way through college.

I hustled hard.

I took night classes and worked in offices as a receptionist or admin some semesters, and I took day classes and worked in nightlife some semesters. I’d do my homework and reading on the subway or at work when I could.

I remember working as a photographer at a club, visiting John wherever he was bouncing after I was done, and getting home to nap for an hour, shower and head to Saturday morning classes all bleary-eyed and half dead.

I saved my little pennies and made my tuition payments (on a payment plan at that) so I could make it through school with no debt. It was tough, but it’s what needed to be done to get my degree. Debt free. ::dusts shoulders off::

But yeah….I’m not having my kids go out like that.

Nope.

Yes, it was a hard won lesson. Yes, it taught me fortitude, money management, independence, time management, the value of caffeine, and how to survive on little sleep…

But for Roey and Kaya… No sireee.

I’ll let them learn those lessons a different way.

I’m saving for their college education from now. Yes, I know they’re only 2 and 8 months…but now is the time to start! I want the peace of mind knowing that they will have a bit more of a head start than I did.

Here’s how I’m saving for Harvard, Princeton, Yale….or Nowheresville Community College:

• Direct deposit into their respective accounts each week – Beachbody pays weekly on Thursdays, so on Fridays there’s an automatic withdrawal that goes into the kids’ savings accounts. Having the savings on an automatic plan makes it easy for me.
• All gifts go to their savings accounts – I ask for money when my family requests gift lists at birthdays and holidays. I remote deposit checks on the spot. And when given something that has to be returned, if I get cash versus store credit, I just put it straight into their account.
• 529 account – My fake grampa (long story, I’ll tell you later) gave my dad some money for Roey and Kai and forced me to open a 529. I’m glad he did because I was half-steppin’ on this really useful account. Now I’ll ask for the financial gifts to go there instead.
• Coins – don’t laugh – I used to fill up our coin banks throughout the year and then put it toward either Christmas gifts or the travel fund. Now, when those piggy banks get full I put it straight into the kids’ accounts.

College tuition is a gift I look forward to giving my kids…though hopefully they rack up some scholarships. I’m not telling them I’ve got one red cent for them.

It’s important to me that they get their education so I’m glad I’ll be able to assist them financially. Starting early allows me to save more over time. Not to mention the power of compound interest working to help me grow their savings accounts even more. This gives me the peace of mind knowing that my kids won’t have to work their way through college unless for some crazy reason they wanted to.

If you’re looking to set up accounts for your children’s college funds Capital One 360 Checking and 360 Savings are fee-free and earn interest. They also have the handy remote deposit capture with Capital One 360’s CheckMate tool and make savings easier with the Automatic Savings Plan. Check out the Capital One 360 Black Friday Sale for bonuses.

How are you saving for your children’s college costs?

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.