Saving for College: How a Young Couple on One Income Helped Their Three Kids Graduate Debt Free!

We became parents while we were still in college ourselves. Both of our parents had committed to paying for our college tuition and despite the little bump in the road with an unplanned pregnancy, continued to pay for our college so that we could graduate debt free. After graduation, we quickly saw how very beneficial it was for us to not be burdened with debt and we were able to start our life on a firm financial foundation. I chose to stay at home with our children {three of them all by the time I was 26!} and despite only having one income, we lived below our means, so that we could hopefully provide the same gift of higher learning for our own kids. This is a bit of the story on how we did that. We were able to turn financial limitations into financial freedom, not only for ourselves, but for our children as well. There wasn't any magic involved, just mindset, strategy, and steady action and sacrifice. I'm not sharing any magic formula, but instead, hoping you are inspired to plan intentionally not only for yourself but for the next generation.

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Parents Weekend Prep Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Prepare for a Parents Weekend Visit

You might be a seasoned college parent like we are or maybe you're brand new to this phase of parenting, regardless, attending your child's college Parents Weekend is a bit of a milestone event. It's a chance for you to get to step into your student's world, get a peek at their day-to-day life, and reassure both of you that everyone is adjusting. It's also a great time to remind your boys to wash their sheets and towels more often and for the girls to beg for some shopping time...you know, for bonding and stuff! You'll be reminded of how expensive kids are and while you'll roll your eyes at the total as you stock them up on supplies, you'll be grateful for that little squeeze and quiet thank you.
But keeping it totally real, sometimes planning a visit to your child's college campus isn't always simple. Especially if you are like us, and are visiting from out of state. You'll need to navigate hotel bookings and campus schedules and try to manage emotions {yours and theirs}, and there's a lot to think about and keep in mind. After going through this many many times and talking with other parents in the same boat, I've gathered my best tips to help you prepare for a smooth and memorable Parent's Weekend experience.

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The Ultimate Guide: The Best Gifts for College Graduates

Graduating from college is a monumental achievement, marking the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and growth. It's a time of celebration and transition as graduates embark on the next chapter of their lives, particularly if they are officially entering into adulthood. If you're on the hunt for the perfect gift to congratulate and support a college graduate, look no further. Here's a curated list of meaningful and practical gifts that are sure to help make their post-graduate journey a little brighter.

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Sending Your Child Out of State to College: A Comprehensive Guide from a Mom Who's Done it 3 Times!

Sending your child off to college is a huge milestone in not only the parents life but in their life as well. That toddler who wouldn't let go of you leg and screamed bloody murder when you left them with a sitter, now wants to go to college in a whole different state. It's a lot! As a mom of three, each of my kids chose a school out of state for various reasons. I've learned a few things through the years and have a few tips to offer parents who find themselves trying to help their students navigate their next decisions. With careful planning and consideration, this transition can be a good and rewarding experience for both you and your child. In this blog post, I'll discuss important factors to consider before your child chooses a college out of state and offer practical tips on packing and preparing for their departure and how to stay connected with your kids, even when they are hundreds or thousands of miles away.

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Dorm Essentials Hand-Picked by College Students

As a parent, seeing your kids go off to college is an emotional milestone. It honestly doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was the one full of excitement and nerves headed off to live in the dorms with a roommate I'd never met before! As a parent you're probably filled with a little nostalgia and a lot of worry! You want to make sure they have everything they need to thrive before starting this next chapter of their lives. I sat down with my daughter who is headed into her senior year of college, and made a list for her brother who is heading off to live in the freshman dorms. This is the comprehensive list of TRUE dorm essentials that you've been looking for!

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Stop Asking High School Grads This Question

College has always been a priority for our kids. It's been on their radar from a very young age and all three of them have had career aspirations that are met with a college degree. One thing I noticed a few years ago when we were starting to go to more and more graduation parties is that the assumption that a new high school grad is going on to college. It can be one of the hardest questions for a kid to answer if their path looks a little different. College has gotten hard to afford and there are many different paths a teen can take as they enter into adulthood. Here are some things I learned the hard way {from awkward conversations where I assumed!}, and some questions you can ask instead.

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Setting Boundaries for College Students Home on a Visit

Parents know the crash and bangs at all hours of the early morning, making you wonder if you’re being robbed or if that’s your college student getting in from a night out with friends. When your baby comes back home as a new young adult, it can be challenging to have that first initial visit when they come home. And I've found, every break when they boomerang back changes a bit, so these are always ongoing conversations. While things can take a while to adjust fully, here are a few tips for setting boundaries for college students when they come home to visit.

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Easy Meal Ideas for College Students or Young Adults Who Don't Have a Meal Plan

You’re heading to college, or maybe you have a child leaving the nest for the first time and are wondering if they’re ready for life outside your humble abode. Being out on your own means more independence and that also means learning to cook for the first time. Dining hall meals won’t last forever, and boxed mac and cheese can only get you so far. If you are a young adult or know someone who could use some easy meal ideas to help them get started on their cooking journey, here are easy meal ideas that are perfect for college students or young adults.

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Everything Your College-Age Kid Needs To Know Before Moving Into Their First Apartment

College is such an exciting time of life that is full of firsts. First time away from home, first time managing their own schedule, the first time being fully independent. There are lots of baby steps towards independence with the safety net of home that college provides. I think we all remember what it felt like when we moved into our first place. It's exciting with a side of butterflies brought on by adult responsibility. As your college-aged kids prepare to move into their first apartment or rental home, here are the things I would recommend to help them adjust.

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8 Reasons Why the Cricut Joy Makes the Perfect Graduation Gift!

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
It's almost grad season! It's such a fun time to celebrate all our graduate's accomplishments. Many people find themselves at a loss on how to pick the perfect graduation gift to congratulate and honor this accomplishment in a young person's life. I find that the best gifts are those that are useful to them as they start to enter into the next chapter of their life. It's why I think that the Cricut Joy is the perfect graduation gift. Now, you may be thinking, my mom asked for a Cricut for Christmas last year, or Nancy down the street is the only person I know with a cutting machine and she's middle-aged, what would a kid do with a Cricut Joy? Friends, hold on! I'm about to share with you why the Cricut Joy makes the perfect graduation gift and why your kid will be the envy of every person on their dorm floor!

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Free Resources for College Students

If you’re a college student there are a ton of amazing things that are offered to you completely free, but, you have to know they exist, which sadly many college students don’t. That’s why I put together this list of amazing free resources for college students. Share it with a student because we all know college kids need whatever money-saving tips they can get!

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Everything you Need to Know about Packing a COVID Quarantine Bag for your College Student

It feels like yesterday that I was packing and repacking my hospital bag for the birth of my daughter, but right now in our house, all we are doing is thinking about packing her bags for her college dorm room. Sending our child off to a college campus during the time of a global pandemic isn't an easy decision, but it's one we are cautiously moving ahead with in the next few weeks. One of the campuses bullet points for reintegration for their residential students is that there will be designated rooms set aside for self-quarantine and isolation. In these uncertain times, it's not a bad idea to have a plan because if your child, living on a college campus, hundreds {or thousdands} of miles away from home has to quickly leave their dorm room for a quarantine location, having a bag that can be easily grabbed by a roommate or friend sitting on the bottom of their closet will be far easier than someone trying to figure out what to pack for them. Here are a few suggestions for some items your college resident can use to pack in a COVID quarantine bag just in case they test positive.

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5 Ways Parents Can Stay Connected with College-Age Kids

This post is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When you have a handful of small children all tugging at your leg, you don't think the day will ever happen when they leave the nest, but they do. And it's what you are working toward as a parent. Sending your high school graduate off into the world as they spread their wings can be a difficult transition. Your home and family will no longer look or feel the same, and your relationship with your child will evolve and change. Sending care packages with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health products that are familiar to them, or taking the time to enter each other's world through video chat are all great ways to stay connected. 

Transitioning from the day-to-day relationship where you all live in the same home to being miles {sometimes states!} away can be difficult. As parents, we often wonder how we can still stay involved in their lives, and let our kids know they are loved and cared for, without feeling like we are stifling their independence is a delicate dance. Here are 5 tips I have for staying connected with your college-age kids as they leave home.

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5 Things I Learned From Being on a College Parents Message Board

Two weeks before my oldest son graduated from college, I found the official university parents board for his school. I had no idea the Facebook group even existed and I must confess, I'm kind of glad I was oblivious. I was surprised at what I found the parents asking and how involved the parents were in their young adults life. Kids are being raised with their parents watching their every move, tracking their locations, and monitoring their grades and I can see that even after their children are tucked away safely in their dorms, that they are having a hard time letting go. I think we can all agree that there is a fine line between being an involved parent and over-parenting. The role of a parent can get really tricky as our kids become more independent and start heading out into the world on their own. Here are 5 things I learned from watching other parents navigate launching their children into independence. 

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10 Life Skills Your Teen Needs Before They Move Out for College

One of the things parents often wonder as they get ready to send their teens off into the world is "are they prepared." With a daughter about ready to move out this summer and head to college, this has been one of the things as parents, that we think of often. With heavy required course loads, teens don't' have the flexibility in their schedules to take life-skills classes, and schools often don't have them available anymore. Life demands can get in the way of us teaching our teens the basic life skills they need before they move out of the house and head to college, but I've got you covered! Here are 10 life skills your teen needs to be an independent responsible young adult. 

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How to Make a Dorm Room Feel Like Home

Heading off to college can be such an exciting time for your teen. But while the idea of living on their own is something your teen is probably looking forward to, I’m sure it’s also pretty overwhelming. Since you can’t be there to comfort them every time they’re lonely, why not help them bring some comforts of home along with them? Follow these simple steps to make their dorm room feel a little more like home.

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Top Tips to Help Make Your College Apartment Feel More Like Home

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Better Homes & Gardens® 300 Th

read Count

Wrinkle Free sheet set and Wamsutta® Hygro® Duet towels. All opinions are 1

00% my own. I

wouldn't tell you about something I didn't love. Promis

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Better Homes & Gardens® 300 Thread Count Wrinkle Free sheet set and Wamsutta® Hygro® Duet towels. All opinions are 100% my own. I wouldn't tell you about something I didn't love. Promise.

I sent my oldest son off to school for his junior year this morning. He's 2,500 miles away from home living in a different state far away from the comfortable safety and four walls we have provided for him as a soft place to land these past twenty years. There are a few things that I mom-picked {like hand-picked but by mom...it's my blog, I can make up words!} to send with him to make his new apartment feel a little less like a temporary college crap-hole and more like home. 

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Giving Our Kids Roots and Wings-Parenting in the College Years

It was probably easier having a few busy weeks leading up to the final departure. It was a long summer that went by in a blink. Early this morning, our oldest son packed up a car and headed back to college for his sophomore year. He adapted last year to being far from home, made some great new friends and managed to keep himself alive without the watchful eye of his parents. I spent some time this morning reflecting on his departure as the roots that connect us get thinner and thinner. Sort of how I reflected last year when I wrote this after saying goodbye to him. 
This is the same boy who wouldn't separate from me as a toddler. Nursery workers would call us to get a screaming snotty kid who would work himself up so much that he was gasping for breath. He would instantly calm down as soon as I held him and he would scream and cling to me if I even came close to the vicinity of a drop off area. 
He would sit outside of my shower door playing with trains and would circle them around as I would dry my hair. In those moments I never thought he would go upstairs without me let alone hop in a car and drive 2500 miles away.

I kept thinking and reflecting after he drove away about the saying that goes something like this: 

 "The best thing parents can do for their children is give them roots and wings."

We've worked hard at preparing the soil and getting those roots to grow deep and strong but we also worked hard at giving him wings to fly. 

Giving our Kids Roots and Wings-Parenting in the College Years

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10 Ways to Help your College Student Survive and Thrive Their Freshman Year

College is a learning experience. You get more than just a classroom education when you enter those halls of higher learning. Not only are you living on your own for the first time, away from the watchful eye of your parents, you are responsible for so many things. As parents, we knew the time was coming, so we backed off slowly to allow room for him to grow and become more independent. I want to share some tips on how you can set your child up to survive and thrive as a college student. I recently read a report from the ACT that one in every four college students leaves before completing their sophomore year. Not only that, nearly half of all freshman drop out before obtaining a degree or completing their education at all. Setting your college kids up for success is going to help prevent your child from becoming one of those statistics. I've got 10 tips for how you can help your college student survive and thrive their freshman year.

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How to Apply to College and Stay Organized Too!

Last year, at about this time, we were awaiting the final results for the ACT that my oldest son had just taken. We spent his junior year of high school researching schools and going to college fairs. Once the test results were in, my son could start applying for college. His options were wide open and while he didn't have a laser focus on any one school, he did have it narrowed down to 11 different universities that he wanted to submit a college application to. Most counselors recommend applying to 5-8 different universities. Without really knowing how much financial aid or scholarships he would qualify for, we had not only safety schools {those he knew he had a fairly good chance of getting into} for academics, we also had financial safety schools {those we knew we could afford even if he didn't get any scholarships}.  He also had a few reach schools {those that would be challenging to get into, but were realistic enough that he should apply based on his grades and test scores}. Keeping all of the applications straight was getting to be overwhelming. So, like a true engineer, my husband created a spreadsheet to keep all of the details straight. We have been asked for this spreadsheet a few times from friends, and thought that it may just be helpful to pull it together and offer it up to all of you.

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