Thanks all for your comments on my no-scholarship-money thread.
I think that what I need is a nifty-neato (creative) way to pay for my kids college. It seems, uh, boring that I simply paid for it out of my income from work. Rather, I’m looking for something unique that would be fun to tell people.
For example, I sell stuff on eBay in my spare time. Would be great to say that I paid for my kids education from eBay sales.
Or grandparents set money aside when kids were in womb and that money was left for college.
Or…?
I guess I just don’t think that “I worked and thus I am paying for my kids college from my paycheck” is really what I want my story to be.
Question is: What creative ways are available to pay for my kids college education, besides scholarships?
For us the neato/nifty combination was a 529 account that more than doubled over the years, a lovely merit award and a campus job that is both an earning and learning experience. It sounds as though your kids are still a ways away from their college years, so if you don’t have a 529 started, now might be a good time. Terrible stock market right now, but starting at a low is a good idea if you have the time to allow it to go up again.
Modeling (you or your kids) is a nify-neato way to pay for kids college. But you would have to have the forthrightness to be good looking (or have good looking children) for that to work out. One of my friend’s kids was a baby Gap model for a couple of years. Paid for her college.
Find a drug cartel and launder their money via a strip club?
Not sure why you need a “story” about paying for college.
Your kids could get jobs and start saving so they can contribute to their own education. Before my daughter left for college, she had close to $10K in her bank account from working part time during the school year and full time during the summers. She’s been on track to add significantly to that over this summer.
It doesn’t seem like you need the money per se, just a “story”
[“we’ll be full pay parents and simply write a check to pay for college”
“It seems, uh, boring that I simply paid for it out of my income from work. Rather, I’m looking for something unique that would be fun to tell people.”]
I doubt these posts are legit, BUT I love a good creative writing sesh, so:
-Lottery scratch off
-Law suit settlement with a major fast food restaurant after you spilled hot coffee in your lap from a loose lid
-Rich relative you didn’t know existed surprisingly left you their estate
-Vegas betting on the ponies, perhaps Rich-Strike at the Derby since that was one he!! of a longshot win
-You found a bag of money, turned it in and no one claimed it; you used half for college and donated the other half to charity. You get to pay for college and be a hero at the same time. I hear the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of LA are short on pledge receivables these days
-Pick any Lifetime Christmas movie where the Prince meets a lowly: baker, journalist, skater and proposes a week later leading to a lifetime of love and palatial living
OP, it seems as though you are needed some sort of emotional validation that you are special, and that in some way you ‘beat’ the system, and aren’t just another ordinary parent working away, saving money and being responsible about paying for your kids college. Maybe think about a way to get that validation through something about you, not how you finagled the financing of your kid’s education.
Firstly, you say your kids are B students. Are they even in high school yet? It’s way too late for a 529 frankly.
If your kids are still in middle school, they can become A students. Then they will be able to attend college for peanuts at a college that offers full rides or full tuition to A students. That’s nifty.
Or your kids can take and pass AP exams, enter a public u with some credits already, and save you some money. Maybe they can also take CLEP exams and test out of Gen Ed’s. Then maybe they could finish college in 2.5 years instead of 4. Look up CLEP at College Board’s website.
Or they can work a lot during summers, apply for scholarships, go to CC and transfer, which will save a lot of money.
They can do military service and attend college courtesy of the government.
They can attend college in several European countries for free or very cheap.
Your kids will go to college but you have to think outside the box.
The need for out of the box ways to find money to pay for college, sure. But “story”, no.
If this is a genuine post, I’d urge the OP to consider figuring out why others’ opinions mean so much to them. That’s a recipe for unhappiness. As someone else upthread said – other people aren’t actually interested in how you pay for college.
Become a street sweeper, and maybe you’ll be like my coworker who noticed several 100s in the road. Got out and found a bag with $50K. He did turn it all into the police though. But don’t think the rest of us didn’t go out there trying to find any stray bills floating around
Either you have your kids become an exotic dancer. I’ve been told a couple of my kids’ high school mates did this with approval from their parents. If what I heard was true, they were able to pay for all of their expenses themselves. Their parents saw it as a return for all the money they spent on dance.
It would be fun to see the look on listeners faces when you say, “I turned to the oldest profession to pay for my kid’s undergrad education. I enjoyed it so much, I’m looking forward to covering grad school as well.”
I’m with others, though. What’s the need for a story?
