[DeltAlum]

Damasa,

Good question.

We started mutual funds for each of the kids, and also one for ourselves probably about the time our first went into junior high school.

We were fortunate. When our oldest went to college, I had a very well paying job -- which later went away in a corporate merger. She went in state for two years (she was recruited into a musical theatre department), and then went out of state for her final two years. Between the mutual funds and my salary, it was tight, but not terrible. One interesting thing, when she out of state, we bought her a condo at the new school (which happened to by our Alma Mater). We still own it -- rent it out -- and actually make some money on it. By the time we sell it, she will have basically gotten free room.

Our middle daughter went to cosmotology school, which was a one time payment.

Since the corporate merger mentioned above, I make about half of what I made before and we used up a lot of our reserves while I was looking for new work.

It looked like we were going to go into big time debt to get our son through college at a big time, expensive school -- but, as a National Merit Scholar, he got very nearly a full academic ride at the University of Oklahoma, which he accepted. I would have loved for him to go to Northwestern or one of the other schools he had originally chosen, but it's tough to turn down a full ride. And, as it turns out, he really liked the Oklahoma campus.

We did tell him we would pay for one degree, so since he got the scholarship, we will pay for a Masters at Boston or Northwestern or one of the Ivys if he wants to go.

So, we did some good things, had some bad and then very good luck. Quite a saga.

More than you wanted to know.