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[quote=Anonymous]OP- Without more information (other savings, your age, etc) If I were you, I would plan to pay whatever you were saving per year, plus another $12K a year.  It seems to me it is usually possible to trim from our budgets to come up with 1K a month when you are at 6 figures (eat out less, stop buying clothes, skip vacay, cancel subscriptions, etc).  So if you were putting in $4K into the 529, I would plan on contributing 16K and taking 20K out of the 529 a year.  So I'd keep expenses at $36K a year.  If she goes to private, then the rest you can pay for with loans.

Now if you have a non-retirement brokerage accounts or savings bonds (no taxes on interest when used for college), I would dip into that to keep your kid from taking out loans.

I'd also consider asking grandparents and any childless aunts and uncles for help to avoid loans if they can afford it.

Finally, your kid should plan to work full-time this summer (or even a part-time job now) to save to cover pocket money and books.  That way they have skin in the game and can start thinking about being frugal.   Any other savings they have (bday money, etc) should go to books and pocket money too.  That way you aren't also having to come up with money all the time to cover your kid's social life in college.[/quote]

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