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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DCUM area has high proportion of government workers who typically save save save - and are generally pretty fiscally responsible. Here in NYC area you have high earners / high spenders who just plan on covering college from free cash flow, like i’m doing now for two kids enrolled concurrently. Typical ant vs grasshopper lol[/quote]

I'm the DC saver. Also a widow with a relatively low income - low enough that it was below the "dream" school's advertised "full tuition waiver." Guess what - no FA offered, and when I appealed, I was told that I have more[b] non-retirement money than most parents of incoming freshman[/b]. And this is a school with lots of rich kids. I actually said to the FA counselor, "I find that really hard to believe" and I do. Plus, that money has to supplement my income until I retire because[b] I can't meet my monthly expenses on my income alone.[/b] My appeal was rejected, and DS is not attending that school.

Sour grapes all around. I have done everything right. But at least I can easily pay for 4 years at the school where DS landed. And he's being great about it; he told me I should never apologize for saving money.[/quote]

Oh I bet it is more than most incoming freshman! We are full pay, no loans,  for two at two different ivies and have nothing non-retirement other than a tiny 529 that was spent the first year they overlapped. Very few of my full pay ivy friends have anything outside of retirement. If you have all of that NON-retirement, presumably you also have adequate retirement savings too-- then why didn't you let him go to his dream school? [b]Why are you spending more than you earn?[/b] The dream schools with the full tuition waiver are all ivy/T10 schools. Students there can EASILY get TAships or library jobs that make 5-6k per year, and there are dozens of options to get funded summers, some with generous stipends, never mind the job/career boost.[/quote]

Umm, because my husband died unexpectedly? And we bought our house before he died? And the mortgage is more than I bring home because he made more money than I? Wow, how hard is it to understand that losing the breadwinning parent is a major shift in a family's finances? DH had life insurance, and I have put that money aside to draw down from and meet our living expenses until I retire so that we can stay in our home and not further disrupt our family life. It was the prudent thing to do. However, had I spent the money and not saved it, my child would be attending his dream school (not an Ivy, by the way, but a very well-regarded school - I'm sure you could narrow it down, but I'm not outing myself by naming it). If I spend the money on tuition, I won't have the cushion that I need to get my family (which included 2 other children) through the next few years.

Your empathy and compassion are inspiring[/quote]

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