My View

How will I afford college? This is a topic a growing number of people are worried about with our declining economy. In this day, college is increasingly necessary for success. It has been noted that over the lifetime of a working individual, those with a bachelor's degree earn a million dollars more than those with only a high school diploma.

So how do you afford it? I'm not sure how you can do it, but I'll share how I did it.
I started working when I was 12 years old for a family friend. I got $5 per hour. Even at 12 I saved up. I opened a joint bank account with my Mother and loved to see the money grow. Since that first job I worked various other jobs in retail and summer recreation and saved saved saved.

When I graduated high school, I made a few hundred dollars at my graduation party. I took that money, drained my bank account and paid for my first year of Community College in cash. The second year was paid for in savings bonds that I received when I was born and money I earned the previous year. Associates degree done!

I transferred to a State University and immediately landed a waitress position working 30 hours a week. I was on a payment plan with the university. I also had to pay for housing, even though I could have commuted the 45 minutes to the college. I could have been a Residential Advisor in a dorm which would have paid for my room, I still chose to work instead. Two years of that and Bachelor's degree done! No student loan debt!

Parents- Start saving early. College is one the the biggest expenses in life and it should be treated that way. It has been two years since graduation and my classmates are still paying off their loans. They are living paycheck to paycheck and have very little in savings.

I was able to save enough to buy a house and start off a 401k, but that's for another time.

Until then,
PJ