EFC: My DH had horrible student loan payments from a private university and law school. It makes me very student loan averse and really affected the amount we were able to save for DS17. It financially crippled us for a few years. DH’s parents encouraged him to go to a too-expensive school and didn’t help pay the debt. I try not to be bitter about it but it can be hard to just smile and nod when these same grandparents question our decision to look into Big MAC schools for DS because they think he should go to a “more prestigious” school. In my opinion, a lot of these Big MAC schools have a lot to offer and with the career my DS wants to pursue, it makes no sense to spend the big bucks.
I attended a big state U that was very cheap in my day and I had a great outcome with my degree and no debt.
Allowance: We are working with DS on how to budget and save money. It has been difficult. He loves to spend.
@carachel2 I am so sorry to hear about your hometown loss. Very upsetting for all of the parents and kids involved. That just stinks.
@snoozn Thank you for the blog recommendations! They are informative.
SAT Subject Tests: Not terrible and not great. It makes it easier to jettison any schools that would require them.
Congrats to all those with SAT scores they wanted and hugs to those who didn’t.
The Moosewood Cookbook is one of my favorites, even though we are not vegetarians! I love the split pea and lentil soups. And the spanakopita. OK, off to cook now
I just chalk it up to people having PMS or a bad day, and you’re collateral damage that they’re venting about. Sometimes I think they might have had a kid toss off their favorite school because there was no Starbucks, and that it’s been festering with that poster ever since, just waiting to blat out. I think about a month ago I was irrationally terse to a poster (I think it was lindagaf), but it was too late to go back and edit. So I cut people a lot of slack unless they’ve consistently got their head up their keister.
I think so, because you have to separate the debt from the asset, anyway. Whether there is an asset is sort of beside the point of the debt. The debt is the debt, it can be backed by assets or not, but the debt still exists.
@VickiSoCal {{hugs}} about the standardized testing. I feel that way sometimes about some of D18’s grades-I’m like, man, I wish we could figure out the magic recipe to make this work better for D.
Just came back with shopping with D17. She bought a toolbox and lots stuff for wiring arduino boards. And shoes. Retail therapy :D. We also went food shopping and she said she was desperately in need of some fresh veggies, so we loaded up on broccoli and cherries, two of her favorites. It’s very good to have her back and get to do girl stuff again. Luckily girl stuff usually involves Home Depot in our family, lol.
Re:assets: I posed the question bc that seems to be one that most posters in general seem to argue as to why the FA formulas work.
When I play around with the numbers, it doesn’t appear that way to me. Maybe I am entering #s that are too low. When I run the NPCs, income seems to be the #1 controlling factor.
Everyone is happy in my home today! D got her SAT scores back today, and while they’re not as good as her ACT scores, they should be good enough to confirm her PSAT for NM. That means she is done with standardized testing! <:-P
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I think assets are more of a factor than some think. Since 401k savings alone won’t be enough for me to reach my retirement goals, I have significant funds marked for retirement (more than my 401k savings) in non-protected investment accounts. My EFC took a huge hit from those assets.
I think I might have found an issue or inconsistency with the concordance table, or at least reasons on the harsh curve. For reading/writing separately , there is no chance you can get 710, 730, or 750, etc on reading or writing, since there is not concordance for 35.5, 36.5 or 37.5, etc, as the math section. Only whole numbers are concorded for reading and writing. This will be punishing for good math kids, as they need more or more detailed concordance on reading and writing. Instead, the kids got lumped together, causing steep curve for reading/writing.
My attitude today is my kid is who she is. She’s going to apply to her ~10 schools with the scores and grades she has and if they like it, they’ll take her, if not, we have other options and she is going to be successful in life. She is a focused hard worker with good people skills. The Mc testing phase of her life is nearly over.
@jmek15 Our plan is the exact same. State school with some merit makes the OOS schools that my DD’s like right in our price range. Luckily they have good grades and test scores to help them do this. None of my kids want to go in state which is their other option. We are from NY and don’t care for any of the state schools.
I know there are parents of boy scouts on here. Have any of your kids achieved the national Medal for outdoor achievement award or the Hornaday badge. My son is coming up on 125 nights of camping. When he went out west to Philmont he’d heard of people getting it but I know here in Maine not many people do.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek, Aawwwww. My kids are not so attached or sentimental. I will say that there aren’t many options for staying close to me. I think S is ready to leave my nagging!
Retail therapy :D. We also went food shopping and she said she was desperately in need of some fresh veggies, so we loaded up on broccoli and cherries, two of her favorites. It’s very good to have her back and get to do girl stuff again. Luckily girl stuff usually involves Home Depot in our family, lol.