<p>My luck may not hold, but for now, I want to believe I've just completed the last FAFSA of my life!</p>
<p>Anyone else care to celebrate with me?</p>
<p>Yippee for you! Congrats! We have 3 more years to go!</p>
<p>Congratulations!! I just completed my 1st!!</p>
<p>congrats!!!!</p>
<p>This is our second year of completing the FAFSA and if all three boys end up in college, we will be doing it for the next seven years!!</p>
<p>The FIRST is the worst, isn't it??</p>
<p>FresnoMom- Our son is our only likely to go to college, so we've gotten off easy re college costs. (Not that our learning disabled D doesn't cost us a bunch in so many other categories.)
You will be able to start a FAFSA advising service by the time your 3 boys are done!</p>
<p>I run FAFSA workshops and also one-on-one help with it for students in my support program.</p>
<p>I will NEVER be done with FAFSA! :(</p>
<p>I'm done with the Profile...almost as good as being done with the FAFSA...and that means I don't have to pay to submit a finaid form anymore!! Woo hoo....</p>
<p>It looks like my last child, a HS sr. now, is going to pick a FAFSA-only school. So I think I just filed my last Profile, for #2S who will finish up next year at a Profile school. Yay. No more Bus./Farm supplements or worrying about home equity.</p>
<p>I'm readying to do my first. If you're celebrating musicmom....pass that bottle over here. I'm sure I NEED it much more than you, but CONGRATS!</p>
<p>SCCCCCRRRREEEEEEEECH...... </p>
<p>the sound of the bottle sliding down the bar to you, pjp1116!</p>
<p>You're at the right place if you're just starting into FAFSAland.
I found CC just about 4 years ago and the folks here have helped me through all this stuff!</p>
<p>Welcome and good luck!!!</p>
<p>Slide that bottle on down, FAST. I just finished my first FAFSA. What a shocker!!! EFC was over 31,000. We're just a family of 5 that has invested all our extra money for a rainy day. Makes me kinda wish we had gone to more movies and spent that extra money.</p>
<p>GULP.</p>
<p>WOW Musicmom drinks the good hooch <slides the="" bottle="" back="" down="" to="" bear=""></slides></p>
<p>musicmom,</p>
<p>The good news: I have filed my last fafsa for senior year</p>
<p>the bad news:</p>
<p>It is not the last fafsa (D is going to law school, so while she will be filing as an independent student, they will still be looking for an EFC from me).</p>
<p>But hey, come on over to Sinners Alley
I' ll buy a round
And we will celebrate all of the firsts, the lasts, and everything in between:D</p>
<p>Just thought I would let everyone know I finished my FAFSA at 7:00 pm last night, and I already received my SAR 3:00 pm today (e-mail). That was much quicker than I was expecting. Do I need to do anything else?</p>
<p>slide that bottle back dude. Made my first baby step.....Bought Turbotax last night. Probably I will do a quick run through it and see what kind of numbers I get, then will most likley do FAFSA using estimates, and a will file status.</p>
<p>Glad to hear of the rapidity of getting your SAR.</p>
<p>Earlier in the process (thinking and over thinking about it stage) I was going to look at things like taking distributions from UTMA and moving to a 529 or UTMA529.... I decided to not do those kind of activities, and just roll with it. I saved some money (not nearly enough!)for my kids with the express desire for them to use it for their college education.</p>
<p>Was not really in the mode of understanding fully the impact on financial aid of some of the decisions (bought savings bonds for a while in kids names....opened UTMA....) didnt truly do the homework to move funds when the "new" 529 programs were rolled out. Call me asleep at the wheel. </p>
<p>Although with my and my wifes income, I don't think I would have ever been eligible for any federal grant type monies anyway.... And there are lots of worse things that could have happened over the years than to have a little money put aside, and perhaps have to stretch a bit during the college years. Oh yea, DS (and DD in 2 years) will take on some debt as well, but we will assure that it is manageable.</p>
<p>Wish I would have found CC 5 years ago. Great resources here and a great community.</p>
<p>Now where is that bottle bear??? Looks like my drink of choice going forward may be back to the MD 20/20. Amazing how history tends to repeat itself!!</p>
<p>I'm with you, pjp1116.
We did do near enough of the 'right' things......we did save some money (not enough) in some of the right places and some wrong.</p>
<p>I might have all this stuff figured out by next year.....but no others going to college. And the rules DO just keep shifting anyway.
I think I see on this year's FAFSA that 529 $$$ in kid's name is NOT reported. But if in parents' control (guess where ours is), it still IS.</p>
<p>Anyway, the sands keep shifting and you have to take a stand somewhere.
Our meager funds were intended for education anyway.....just trying to make them strength as far as legally possible.</p>
<p>I am just tuning in and reading CC about FAFSA. mine is still a junior. I guess I don't have to worry about actually filling one out till next year.</p>
<p>I tried an on line EFC calculator, and ours coming out to be more than $20K.
Does this mean if the college costs more than $20K per year we should fill out a FAFSA?<br>
How does one decide whether to fill a FAFSA or not?
Where does this need money come from?
Is it a loan to the student or a grant that one doesn't have to pay back?
Sorry about asking too many questions</p>