I'll go first. I kind of side eye moms that prop the car seat on the grocery cart. I've heard horror stories about them falling off and it's just not secure. I know it sucks but just put the seat inside of the cart, why risk it. Sorry to the mommas on here that do this, I'm just concerned for your LO's safety :-)
Post by mrscatfarmer13 on Apr 2, 2015 8:29:15 GMT -5
PO/random: wet, squishy shoes are the worst. I was only halfway through the office parking lot before it started hailing. I'm glad I opted for black ankle pants and no socks (not that I would wear them together) because everything from my knees down are soaked.
UO: Pictures of crying/terrified children sitting on the Easter bunny or Santa's lap are not cute. As a child that was subjected to this form of torture, I do not endorse it if you can tell your child is scared.
+1 for no carseats on top of carts. Most car seat manuals tell you not to do this. READ YO MANUAL!
I was one of the moms who out the baby propped on the cart a few times, But I didn't realize they could tip and I always had my hand on him. I didn't know until after he was out of a bucket seat that it was a no-no.
Thats a good one @mrscatfarmer. I would generally agree except my DH and I were thinking of putting money into a Roth IRA and using the principal to pay for college and keeping the interest for retirement. This is what a financial person advised as having better returns than the 529s. And you don't get penalized on the principal if you take it before 59 1/2, just the gains.
Parents should not dip into their retirement or 401k accounts to help their children pay for college.
On that same note, a college education is great, but not worth putting yourself (or your parents) in debt to the tune of $100K. And when people do this, I blame their parents for not teaching them better.
Thats a good one @mrscatfarmer. I would generally agree except my DH and I were thinking of putting money into a Roth IRA and using the principal to pay for college and keeping the interest for retirement. This is what a financial person advised as having better returns than the 529s. And you don't get penalized on the principal if you take it before 59 1/2, just the gains.
I don't think there's anything wrong with that, if it's the plan all along and you still get to retire when you want to and have a comfortable retired life. It's when people make huge sacrifices with their retirement to send their kid to school that makes me shake my head.
My UO: At first I liked having a different love-tit phrase every day, but sometimes I feel like it's some big inside joke that I'm not a part of (probably because I don't hang out on the Parenting board).
Post by sstwinklinglites on Apr 2, 2015 9:12:47 GMT -5
We don't have a college fund set up for DS. Maybe we will in the future, but I'm of the mind that you can finance college, but you can't finance your retirement. I also agree with JoBub, that $100k for school is simply not necessary. There are so many schools you can go to, scholarships, grants, no to low interest student loans, I just can't imagine that kinds of debt for school unless you're becoming a doctor. I went to college, and took out student loans when the grant money and scholarships disappeared, and I just don't think it was worth it. I would never hold it against my kids if they decide college isn't for them, because I can see it from that perspective as well.
Thats a good one @mrscatfarmer. I would generally agree except my DH and I were thinking of putting money into a Roth IRA and using the principal to pay for college and keeping the interest for retirement. This is what a financial person advised as having better returns than the 529s. And you don't get penalized on the principal if you take it before 59 1/2, just the gains.
I don't think there's anything wrong with that, if it's the plan all along and you still get to retire when you want to and have a comfortable retired life. It's when people make huge sacrifices with their retirement to send their kid to school that makes me shake my head.
We don't have a college fund set up for DS. Maybe we will in the future, but I'm of the mind that you can finance college, but you can't finance your retirement. I also agree with JoBub, that $100k for school is simply not necessary. There are so many schools you can go to, scholarships, grants, no to low interest student loans, I just can't imagine that kinds of debt for school unless you're becoming a doctor. I went to college, and took out student loans when the grant money and scholarships disappeared, and I just don't think it was worth it. I would never hold it against my kids if they decide college isn't for them, because I can see it from that perspective as well.
I went to a private university. I had significant scholarships, my parents helped a little, and I took out loans for the rest. I feel like I'm going to be paying my very reasonable-sized loan for the rest of my life (mostly because I'm not in a hurry to pay extra on it right now). But then I think about my college roommate who had no scholarships, no help from her parents, and took out loans for her entire 4.5 years of tuition + books + room & board. At a small private university. To get her degree in...wait for it... early childhood education. Nobody thought anything of it at the time, but now I'm like OMG what was she thinking.
Post by mrscatfarmer13 on Apr 2, 2015 9:25:33 GMT -5
sstwinklinglites I really hate that is seems high schools treat college as the end all be all, and create a stigma around those that opt to not go to college. College is not for everyone. There is a huge job market for skilled labor, but no one to hire because a trade school < college.
TL:DR HS's need to do a better job educating students about the realities of being an adult and getting a job.
sstwinklinglites I really hate that is seems high schools treat college as the end all be all, and create a stigma around those that opt to not go to college. College is not for everyone. There is a huge job market for skilled labor, but no one to hire because a trade school < college.
TL:DR HS'sPARENTS need to do a better job educating studentsKIDS about the realities of being an adult and getting a job.
FTFY
I totally get what you're saying. But as a high school teacher I have to stick up for us and say we're doing the best we can and there are just not enough minutes in a school day. There is only so much we can do when there are 30 kids in front of us heading down 30 different paths in life.
Post by chunkymonkeylvr on Apr 2, 2015 9:33:28 GMT -5
Car seats on shipping carts, completly agree. With my 10 yr old I did it all the time had no idea. With the last two I read my manual and the cart, it clearly states it on both. I think employees should say something to customers if they see them. I have a rule, if I see the same person like that twice while shopping in say something.
As per student loans, I think classes should be adjusted for cost based off the pay scale of the job they will hold, beyond basics. I'm sorry but I fail to see that I got the same education going for teaching as my husband did for being a lawyer.
I also agree that I will not change my retirement for my kids education, but I will help them out when they are old er to make appropriate choices.
Education will have to be reformed from the bottom to the top sooner rather than later, because it can't not be sustainable the way it is.
I like the idea of also opening a Roth or getting mutual funds for my kid. I plan to invest any money they get from holidays or whatever, and let it just grow and grow.
If I put $1000 in an account with 4.5% interest and left it for my kid, he would have $5,000 at 21, and $25,000 at 65. If I put $1000 in each year for my kid, at 22 he would have $33,000, or $300,000 at age 65. He could use it for anything , house, car, college, whatever. Compounding interest is awesome.
I know this is probably "popular" but I loved college and my masters program. I would not be the same person at all. I learned sooooo much. Completely unlocked and opened my mind- grew- emotionally, relationally to others- I had the full live on campus college experience and I absolutely want it for my child. It was amazing and I only hope that my child will have the same educational experiences. I had no loans or debt from either program though because of scholarships and my DHs job paying for my masters.
sstwinklinglites I really hate that is seems high schools treat college as the end all be all, and create a stigma around those that opt to not go to college. College is not for everyone. There is a huge job market for skilled labor, but no one to hire because a trade school < college.
TL:DR HS'sPARENTS need to do a better job educating studentsKIDS about the realities of being an adult and getting a job.
FTFY
I totally get what you're saying. But as a high school teacher I have to stick up for us and say we're doing the best we can and there are just not enough minutes in a school day. There is only so much we can do when there are 30 kids in front of us heading down 30 different paths in life.
I agree with your correction, but I still feel that schools (guidance counselors) need to do a better job making students aware of the options available.
I agree that I could have used a class in hs about finances etc. education on credit cards, loans and investing etc it should be part of the curriculum.
Agree about car seats on carts. Also agree with sstwinklinglites that if my kids decide college isn't for them, that's ok. I'm one of those unfortunate ones who, during hs, was lead to believe (from my parents and school) that college was my only option if I wanted to be happy and successful. I was the first in my family (grandkids and all) to go to college, and everyone was so proud of me, I didn't even pay attention to all the debt I was incurring. My parents are horrible with money, so they never taught me otherwise. Now that I'm an adult, I've learned from their financial mistakes and basically do the opposite of what they have done. Also, I can't say I regret going to college, but I picked a major I was interested in learning about, not one that would land me a job... psychology. I knew I would succeed if I loved what I was studying. So here I am, a nanny, with as bachelor's degree in psychology just sitting in a closet. I love what I do, and its not something that required a college education, so I wish I would have discovered that before getting thousands of dollars in student loan debt that I'll be paying off forever.
As someone who has had scholarships, paid out of pocket, taken out loans, and had parental support, I feel strongly that I would not have changed a thing. However, I made sure that the loans I took out would be easily paid back considering the avg salary of the job I would secure thanks to the degree. They do teach you this as part of loan acceptance/award criteria, it is just that most kids are too young/excited to really pay attention to what the training means.
Now as a recent PhD drop out I definitely dont regret a thing and am thankful to my parents for setting up a college fund for me to have had that opportunity. However, DH is a skilled laborer, he has no degree. He has taught me a lot about the need for skilled labor and the brains of these people. He is one of the most mechanically inclined and hard working people I know. He just doesnt like school. It was a weird epiphany when I first met him.
babylove518 completely agree with your thoughts on college. I have a masters degree in music, totally not necessary for what I do now. But it was necessary to be in school to learn more and practice. The debt is ridiculous when the job market is hard but I don't regret it. I do regret not double majoring in something more practical as a backup. Oh well, you live and learn.
Agree about car seats on carts. Also agree with sstwinklinglites that if my kids decide college isn't for them, that's ok. I'm one of those unfortunate ones who, during hs, was lead to believe (from my parents and school) that college was my only option if I wanted to be happy and successful. I was the first in my family (grandkids and all) to go to college, and everyone was so proud of me, I didn't even pay attention to all the debt I was incurring. My parents are horrible with money, so they never taught me otherwise. Now that I'm an adult, I've learned from their financial mistakes and basically do the opposite of what they have done. Also, I can't say I regret going to college, but I picked a major I was interested in learning about, not one that would land me a job... psychology. I knew I would succeed if I loved what I was studying. So here I am, a nanny, with as bachelor's degree in psychology just sitting in a closet. I love what I do, and its not something that required a college education, so I wish I would have discovered that before getting thousands of dollars in student loan debt that I'll be paying off forever.
Well... That turned into a rant. Oops.
I agree with you. I double majored in International Relations and Religious Studies. RS was just because I had so many credits in the field, it was worth turning it into a second major. IR is what I loved to study, I knew it was going to be my major, and in the end, I was already working in a related field as I put myself through college, and the degree is not required. Here I am nine years later, still working for the same company. I have an older cousin who went to college before me, but he dropped out, so it was all riding on me. I had started it and I was going to finish it, for my own satisfaction, but I quickly knew college wasn't for me, and wasn't going to be worth my time and money. I was right.
My UO: At first I liked having a different love-tit phrase every day, but sometimes I feel like it's some big inside joke that I'm not a part of (probably because I don't hang out on the Parenting board).
^^ This, I really don't get it. When there was a name in the phrase the other day I had to look it up. I am uncool and dont follow pop culture at all.
vlagroupie I actually speak every semester to a class on UCs campus. It's a personal finance class. Anyone can take it as an elective. But yes add finance and budgeting to the life courses in high school. We've got to get this society away from the mindset that it's okay to carry debts and just make payments. I think we should just go back to cash.
Thats a good one @mrscatfarmer. I would generally agree except my DH and I were thinking of putting money into a Roth IRA and using the principal to pay for college and keeping the interest for retirement. This is what a financial person advised as having better returns than the 529s. And you don't get penalized on the principal if you take it before 59 1/2, just the gains.
tell me more about this ... DH and I are torn between 529 and added money to both Roths for LOs education. We did open the 529 and contribute $25/month, thinking about doing both so we have options ... anyone have a crystal ball.
So it's pretty simple. You just put cash into a Roth IRA (you can put up to $5000/ year I think in 2015). It can be payroll deducted and sent over each month. You choose a portfolio of investments that you think are doing well- a financial advisor can help you choose. They should be invested in major long standing companies globally and diversified. You earn interest. The IRS sees this as a retirement account so they will tax the interest that you earn on it (but they don't tax the principal because you already paid taxes on it). So you are free to withdraw the principal from the Roth IRA at any time. It doesn't have to be used for college or retirement. The interest can only be taken out without tax penalty after age 59 1/2, just like your 401k. That way, if your kid doesn't go to college- you can give them the money for something else or keep it for your own retirement. And it insures you at least get the interest at 59 1/2.
I would suggest that you split what you can afford to save for retirement between a Roth and your pre-tax 401k- since both have the same tax advantages. But put the money for college in a vehicle that can be used for other than college.
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