This is a sponsored post on behalf of Bloggin’ Mamas & the Florida Prepaid College Board. All opinions expressed are my own.
The reality of the fact that I have a child going to college in less than two years has been consuming me since the beginning of the school year. I keep going back and forth between “OH, we have two years” and “In one year he will have to be actively applying to college.”
It’s a terrifying place to be, especially for a family who hasn’t saved any money for college.
I was a single mom for several years, and when Kyle and I got married, he was fresh out of college and just starting out in his career. Shortly after, I lost my job and became a stay at home mom, and to be frank, there were days, weeks, and months where we weren’t sure how we were going to keep the lights on.
The thought of saving money for even a date night seemed too far fetched.
But when we did have the money to invest in our children’s futures, we didn’t take advantage of those times and here we are with the realization that we have less than two years to figure out how to help our son achieve his dreams. It has helped us realize that we have to do something for our younger two kids so that they aren’t in the same position their older brother is currently in, and so that we aren’t in the same position later in life that we are in now.
Styles means a great deal to me.
He’s a special human and we’ve been through a lot together, so I want to do everything in my power to help him become the person he hopes to become.
I saw a sweet picture of him last week from when he was four or five. He was a vibrant, happy young kid with so much zest for life.
He’s different now.
A young man who has experienced more of the world, an empath who feels deeply and is full of cynical wit. I know that he’s going to do great things and I wish I had realized sooner that I would do anything to help him arrive at his destination.
When I was a single mom, I tried to instill in Styles the values of hard work and determination. I did prepare him for the fact that I didn’t have the liquid income to save for college at that time, and that he’d have to rely on his brains and academic achievements in order to go to college with less debt. I feel fortunate that it seemed to work, because Styles is an incredibly high performer and after a little hiccup from 7th – 9th grade, he is on track to be able to receive academic scholarships.
But college is so much more than just tuition, and anyone who has been there knows that.
To fill in the gaps, we’re looking for programs where styles can win or earn money for college, which is why we are so excited about the Florida Prepaid Scholarship Program.
Participants can register to win one of ten 2-Year Florida College Plans at
www.floridaprepaidscholarshipprogram.com . Then you get chances to earn extra entries by answering questions, learning more about saving for college and sharing on social media. There will also be chances to win a total of 50 weekly prizes.
So make sure you enter, share with friends and family so they can enter, and keep going back to the site every day to learn more and get extra chances to win!
One thing I’ve learned this year is that there are ways to find money like eliminating cable, reducing insurance plans, budgeting on groceries and sticking to a meal plan, and shopping at thrift stores and sale racks for clothes. I’ve successfully diverted funds to FUNds where our family has been able to go on a few Disney vacations.
Believe me. If I can do that, you can definitely find ways to put money towards your child’s college with one of the five Florida Prepaid College plans .
Marcea says
Love the FL Prepaid Program – it’s such a simple way to save a little at a time for college. Everyone I know who has a baby and lives in FL I suggest they sign up as soon as enrollment opens once the baby is born b/c the monthly payments will be smaller the early you start (and it locks you in at that rate!)
Brittany says
Thank you so much for sharing your story! This is something I’ve been thinking about since before I had kids and well, life happened and we aren’t as prepared as we should be. But you’re right…something can ALWAYS be done to plan for our kids’ futures. Styles is so lucky that he’s got such great parents. Be proud of yourself. You guys are doing a great job!