Looking for creative ways to save college money for your baby. Congratulations on being a first time parent. I am sure there are many things going through your head right now. This is an exciting new time in your life. I know for many parents, as they have a new baby, one of the major things they try to take care of is starting a college savings fund. You may feel like your personal piggy bank account is anorexic after having your baby, however this is also a time to plan for the future life of your child. It seems like tuition rates increase about every year. When you start now, it makes it easier as your child is ready to go off to college.

1. Open a baby’s college savings fund, IRA, or Roth IRA

It is never to early to start saving money for your child’s college. You could even ask friends and family members to help get the savings started at your baby shower by donating to their college fund.

2. Save coupons

You would be surprised at how much money you save up over time, if you donate the amount you save from a coupon into their college fund.

3. Accept Hand Me Down items

Mothers love to help out other mothers. Accept hand me down items, like clothes, toys, walkers, strollers, etc and calculate how much you would have spent on each one. Then, put that money saved into the baby’s college savings account. It all adds up over time.

4. Find a friend or family member to babysit

I would love to just pick up my work and take it to my niece’s house to help my sister in law out financially. Not everyone can do this I know, however many times there is a family member or friend who may know of a friend (who charges cheap) to watch your baby while you are at work. It never hurts to look around and ask. Put the extra money you would be spending on a normal daycare or babysitter aside in your baby’s college fund.

5. Celebrate a Milestone event in your child’s life with a money card

When your baby grows up and has their birthdays, graduation, first communion, bar mitzah, gets straight A’s on their report card, or other milestone moment events, family and friends can send a card with money in it specifically donating to their college fund.

6. Save all change in a basket 

When you go somewhere to eat, get gas, or do anything try to pay with cash. When you get change back, throw it in a basket to go donate to your child’s college fund at the bank later. Again, change adds up fast.

7. Buy cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers

If you have to, have a diaper themed baby shower, and each guest to bring at least one cloth diaper. Reusing cloth diapers alone, will help the savings add up over time, which means more money in your baby’s college fund. When guests feel like they are buying the cloth diaper for a good cause and it is a part of your baby shower party fun, then they are more likely to do it and bring one.

8. Get a library card

When you go to your local library, many times there are many free books to read to your child, videos to watch, or CDs to help your baby go to sleep. All these will add up and save money to donate to your baby’s college fund instead. Many times your baby is so young that he or she will not even remember some of the books until he/she starts growing up. So save the money, and go to the library to get them.

9. Use Credit Cards wisely

There are credit cards and programs like Upromise or BabyMint, which help you save money for your baby’s college fund by donating a percentage of everyday purchases to your child’s savings account.

10. Use a Baby Time Capsule as a Piggy Bank

Set a baby time capsule in your baby’s nursery on a shelf to collect savings bonds, or put money in each time a birthday card comes from grandma or other loved ones. You can also save things like baby’s first shoes or other sentimental mementos in the time capsule, for your baby to open when he or she graduates high-school. How much money will be saved in this time capsule, or their first piggy bank? You can even leave “Message to the Future” letters of predictions or words of advice for the baby in the time capsule. See if your predictions of what college they go to comes true when they open the time capsule 18 to 20 years later. Get your decorative Baby Time Capsule here today.

So have you heard of some creative ways to save college money for baby? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie

The post Creative Ways to Save College Money for Baby appeared first on Time Capsule | Personalized Gifts.

Ok, so many of you have been having fun reading the perspective my husband had building up to meeting me for the first time. Now here is my half of the story so far, (written by the better half of course) for those who have been wondering.

It was a time in my life when I realized that I had to look at singleness as a gift. You know, too many of us (especially girls) strive to find “the one” in life. What if we spent our lives concentrating on giving back somewhere, and if someone happened to come along in our journey then it will be all the more special.
I was raised in a strong, close family in which we relied on each other to help with issues like friendship issues, dating, dress tips, work, God’s will, saving money, homework, etc. I was very busy in my life at this time, from working with my parent’s at their own business, going to school full-time, and giving my time and help to our church small groups I was involved in. I did not really have time for meeting a guy. Of course, that is when Murphy (I am sure you all know him) said, it is time to interrupt your life.

As I was going through my school, work, church weekly routine, I did realize I was not getting any younger. My story started a couple of weeks before Mark (my husband) received “the checklist,” which you can read about at http://www.timecapsule.com/milestone-moments/milestone-moment-the-checklist-to-meeting-someone-online/

I had a couple of friends in my college class who I started to get to know well. How can you not, considering you were studying for your Psychology tests together, and doing sample case studies of clients which brought up important issues in life. One friend, Nikki said, “do you want to go out with my brother sometime?” I was like, “what???” How do you break it to your friend (based on how she has already described her brother in the past), that her brother is not really your type. Well, I was honest with her and basically said he does not sound like someone I would hang out with as a friend, let alone boyfriend.



How Oprah Taught Me About Online Dating – The Relationship Profile

After much hounding from my friends, who sincerely thought I was a “great girl” and needed to be with someone, they suggested filling out a profile online. Ha. Boy did I laugh. I would never do that. That is not me at all, I was thinking. I said to Nikki, “fine, if I do this though it has to be very descriptive because I do not want some axe-murderer finding me.” I decided when I filled out this profile, that I was going to use it as a teaching or ministry moment. I was tired of meeting so many guys who thought and said, “there are no more ‘great girls’ out there,” with morals, faith, standards, and intelligence. At that time, I was also very involved as a leader in our church youth group. So I figured, if anything maybe there are other church youth group leaders out there who can share group lesson ideas, games, etc with me. For tips from Oprah about how to fill out the best online profile, check out http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Online-Dating-Tips-How-To-Write-Your-Best-Profile_1

The Ministry

So, I began to fill in the profile as a ministry to teach guys how to find a great girl, a Proverbs 31 woman if you will. Now, do not get me wrong I am by no means perfect. However, I do constantly strive to live my life with purpose and give back to others by instilling inspiration, encouraging, or helping educate in areas I have experienced or learned. I still have my online profile saved on paper in our wedding time capsule. It will be a fun memory to read this again on our 25th anniversary, when we open our decorative wedding time capsule. Get this beautiful Wedding Time Capsule from http://www.timecapsule.com/product/weddingtimecapsule/.

So how would you use an online profile to teach or reach out to help someone in the world? Again, looking at singleness as a gift, is one of the best gifts you can give or teach others. It affects your daily, social functioning and those around you. If you want to know what was on the “checklist,” stay tuned to next week’s blog.

Where did you first meet your future husband? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

www.timecapsule.com

The post Oprah Taught Me Online Dating appeared first on Time Capsule | Personalized Gifts.

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