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Post by ellise on Oct 21, 2005 7:32:02 GMT 10
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Admin
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formerly ~cara~
Posts: 4,651
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Post by Admin on Oct 21, 2005 9:43:42 GMT 10
Ellise,
Let me just say, and I hope you will all hold those maters your might want to throw my way...I do NOT think that parents OWE their children a college education. If they are rich then by all means, but I must tell you that I think anything worth having is worth paying for yourself. And I think that if they pay for it themselves then I think they value it more. KWIM.
We did pay for our ds to go four years and I have to tell you that is on our list of live's largest mistakes. He even says he should of taken out loans and that had he paid for it he might of did better and appreciated it more. In fairness to him, I have to say that he did hold down a job for his spending money. And he did get a couple of scholarships. But the rest we paid for. Totally about as near as I can tell 60,000$ 4 years, Christian University.
That being said, let me say that if anyone can afford to put their kids thru school then I think more power to them. It did put a stretch on our budget and a burden on our retirement funding.
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Post by braided-rug on Oct 21, 2005 10:31:53 GMT 10
This is me atm. I have starting saving for the residential college. I have to have the first semester in cash by February. Some colleges are more forgiving but I don't know which one he will be in yet.
The other fees he will have to pay for from tax after he starts working after school is finished in 4 years. I think he will get a part time job for spending money if he wants extra things. At the moment I worry he will need a job just to pay for his hair gel etc. lol. I think I will probably have to come up with the money for books.
For the first year we are going the catered college route if we can just so he can adjust to living in the city and being away from home, like 4-6 hours. He is a little younger than most in his year level at school. I have a back up plan and got some pots and food etc. in a Christmas hamper club, for a non-catered college or a flat with friends, which is my least preferred option. If he needs a car, I will worry about it later, he can always take our second car, it is very economical. We have the spare cash for college because dh was working in a factory and we moved so he could go back to a well paid job. Our house payments are slightly more though. It will be tight and we are just being positive. DH does hope I know what I am doing.
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Post by ampooh on Oct 22, 2005 1:26:30 GMT 10
I paid for my own college (still am actually, LOL) and I didn't mind paying at all. I did work hard and applied for every scholarship I was elegible for. But I still ended up taking out student loans. I went to a 2 year community college, but was done in 1 1/2 years thanks to the college in the schools program.  In looking at how some of my friends and my co-workers children are doing in college, I don't think that they appreciate it and would work harder if they paid for it themselves. Granted I'm not in college with them, but most of them aren't doing well. Now how did I make it? I have no idea, LOL. I was living in the 2nd house on my parents property and was paying them rent. The only normal bills I had from there were my internet, and phones. I was driving 30 minutes/miles one way to college. Paying gas money, insurance, and car payment. Still had to eat, plus other expenses. I was doing a full load of courses, working at the college as well part time, plus working part time on the weekends with developmentally disabled adults, and later on working at Wal-Mart as well. I also had to do my intership during my last semester. Some how I managed to get through, and was very happy when I graduated! I did not resent my parents for not paying, but greatly did appreciate it when they helped me out. I also was VERY happy when I got checks from the college for overpaying tuition. That was once a semester. That couple hundred dollars REALLY helped. Amber |
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Post by lucie on Oct 22, 2005 1:40:01 GMT 10
Amber, I think it's great that you paid your own college and I agree with you on with the fact that not everyone works as hard when it's not them paying. I paid my own college, too. I worked almost full time from age 16 to 22 and paid all my books, fees and anything I needed to pay for college. At age 20, I lived on my own and worked full time, went to school full time and I graduated as an x-ray technician at 22 yrs old. I never needed my parents' help. I was very good with managing the money I had. I didn't have much, but didn't spend much either. I was realistic and acepted that I couldn't spend money other than food, rent, school and the occasional movie. I am proud of myself for doing it and I also don't resent that my parents didn't pay....they just couldn't afford it....my father had a very low paying job with little education and my mom was home because she took care of her parents and her dad that was paralysed neck down. I do find I started working hard at a young age--16, but I feel it brought be indepence and being able to fight through life. It's very interesting thread!! |
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Admin
Major Contributor
formerly ~cara~
Posts: 4,651
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Post by Admin on Oct 22, 2005 1:55:55 GMT 10
Accolades for Amber and Lucie. I know that the two of you appreciate your education much more because you had to pay for it yourself. Good for YOU!!!!
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Post by braided-rug on Oct 22, 2005 11:32:31 GMT 10
I don't think our ds will not appreciate our help. We have stuggled alot over the past three years for dh to get back into his career. We ran two houses at one point. DS is used to tight pay weeks and things.
At 20 I was a sahm with three step-children although they didn't come to live for a couple of years. I did want to go to college and wasn't given any advice on how to go about it. There were no college loans then as far as I know, or I wasn't told about it. I was a country girl and went to the city to work, and couldn't handle it, I was boarding with an older lady. I was alot younger than the other kids, I started school a year early. I was having trouble handling my stepfather situation as well at the end of high school. So I went to live with my Grandparents and it was tough that the end of high school was such a dead end. The first day after high school my Mum had me clean out cupboards, some parents are so scared of having unemployed children.
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Post by braided-rug on May 9, 2006 10:27:56 GMT 10
This is me atm. I have starting saving for the residential college. I have to have the first semester in cash by February. Some colleges are more forgiving but I don't know which one he will be in yet. The other fees he will have to pay for from tax after he starts working after school is finished in 4 years. I think he will get a part time job for spending money if he wants extra things. At the moment I worry he will need a job just to pay for his hair gel etc. lol. I think I will probably have to come up with the money for books. For the first year we are going the catered college route if we can just so he can adjust to living in the city and being away from home, like 4-6 hours. He is a little younger than most in his year level at school. I have a back up plan and got some pots and food etc. in a Christmas hamper club, for a non-catered college or a flat with friends, which is my least preferred option. If he needs a car, I will worry about it later, he can always take our second car, it is very economical. We have the spare cash for college because dh was working in a factory and we moved so he could go back to a well paid job. Our house payments are slightly more though. It will be tight and we are just being positive. DH does hope I know what I am doing. Well I have started saving for second semester now. The first semester went well with having the money to get him settled. He is cooking his own food. Things get complicated when they are in long distance relationships though, phone credit and wanting to go see them. He went for his birthday present, but thinks that it is a given now. The hair gel hasn't been a problem lol. |
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Post by braided-rug on May 9, 2006 10:34:32 GMT 10
Ellise, to answer your question or anybody else with the same question, will they be living with you or away?
Secondly, we have HECS here. It is a debt to the government and some are smaller than others, like teaching is probably the cheapest course to pick. You can put down a few hundred dollars to get a discount. If I had started saving quicker, ie when he was probably Daniels age or younger that would have been easy for me. However, it gives them the feeling that you have an unlimited bucket of money, even though it may have been the hardest you have tried in your life! So then you have to practise saying no!
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