New England Families Pay One-Third of Income for College Costs

<p>Well...first for the cars...ours are all 2000 vehicles bought used. We got stuck buying cars because one almost died (a Volvo with 200000 miles on it that was 15 years old), and one got in an accident and was totalled. So...they will probably all die at the same time. We hope they last until the youngest finishes college in 2010. We will be paying almost $60000 out of pocket next year for our two kids' college educations. Like Garland, I feel the investment is one I am willing to make, and I feel fortunate that our family is able to use past savings, home equity, and loans to be repaid in the future to do so. I know not all families are that fortunate. Still...I do wonder how my husband and I will eat next year!! I'm planning to write a book..."How to Feed the Parents on $2 Per Day While the Kids Are In College". I figure I could market it at college fairs. Seriously though...our home costs will not be reduced next year...but we will have reduced costs associated with our DD...no band trip, no youth orchestra trip, no music lessons, one less car being used, reduced utilities (there has to be some reduction with the reduction in showers), less food, etc. No, it won't cover the college costs, but it will do something, won't it??</p>

<p>"How to Feed the Parents on $2 Per Day While the Kids Are In College"</p>

<p>why do you think Pho and Vietnamese sandwiches are my favorite?- try spending more than $10 a person at a vietnamese restaurant- most likely it will be less than $5.
<a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/267105_ramen19.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/267105_ramen19.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>LOL, EK! There is always steamed celery, or eating cabbage. One can lose a lot of weight in the process.</p>

<p>It's good for your BMs, too! ;)</p>

<p>"How to Feed the Parents on $2 Per Day While the Kids Are In College". Reminds me of a trip to costco for pinto beans about 15 and a half years ago. We had just moved here and had almost no money and two small kids. Husband asked me to get some beans to make refried beans. So I brought home what I found, a 25 pound bag for about 7 bucks, and I was proud of that buy. Then a huge bag of rice. It was cheap and lasted a long time. Well it was from Costco.(Like Sams) But it's still a joke around our house.</p>

<p>My hubby still drives his 1983 volvo around. It has only 140,000 miles on it & he inherited it & started driving it after his used car was totalled in an accident. We keep 3 cars because one is generally in the shop & our state believes in the THEORY of mass transit but continues to plan & ponder while the roads get more & more clogged & filled with potholes all the time. <sigh>
Beans, rice & peanut butter & bread can go a long way, if needed. Gardening helps stretch things too.</sigh></p>

<p>Well, I guess some college students will be eating a greater variety of food, than their parents :p</p>

<p>140,000 miles is great, island living has so many fringe benefits. We bought an oldsmobile new in Honolulu in '83 off the show room floor, the island driving was slow and easy. No rush ever. It definitly helped with the milage. We should have gone with a smaller car, the cutlass was too clunky driving up to Sacred Falls.</p>

<p>
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It's good for your BMs, too!

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</p>

<p>This gets my vote of the year for Reply Farthest From the OP's Intentions. </p>

<p>Good ole Mini... :)</p>

<p>Actually, the reason it has so few miles on it is because for about 10 years, it was barely driven. Hubby's folks originally owned it & mostly drove it to & from doc's appointments & then stopped driving it entirely for the last 5 years when the phone poles kept attacking the car <grin>. Hubby only puts about 7500-10,000 miles/year on the car tho & expects the engine will last longer than the body, which is rapidly rusting with our great salt air.</grin></p>

<p>Oh yea, driving on our island is NOT peaceful any more. The other day, a friend took 3.5 hours to get 25 miles on the express bus! We have gridlock much of the day, every day (tho weekends are a bit lighter).</p>

<p>but not far from the OP's intestines,..</p>

<p>Thank you for the link to the article unsoccer-mom and here's a bit that I took away, without any comments on what year car I drive,
[quote]
To cover the increased costs of getting a degree, students and parents are getting deeper into debt.
Fourth-year students at public four-year colleges hold an average of $15,399 in debt, a 39 percent increase since 1992-93, even while adjusting for inflation.
The average debt for a fourth-year student at New England's private colleges was $23,491, a nearly 50 percent increase from 1992-93.

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</p>

<p>"Feeding parents on $2 a day" (or less): my H has a bin of whole wheatberries in the basement; every couple week he (hand)grinds a few cups of them, then bakes a couple loaves of bread. The supply has lasted for years--literally pennies a loaf. And good eating, too!</p>