If you have young kids you may not be thinking about their college education just yet. Even though it is hard to focus on college when you are still struggling to get them out of diapers now is the perfect time to start saving. Money may be tight but with an adjustment to your budget and a firm commitment to your children's education you can build up a college fund on your current income.
If you want to send your kids to college with ease, you really must first pay off your current debt. You will be able to save more efficiently if you are not juggling savings and debt at the same time. You may feel like it will take too long to pay off your debt but you will be surprised how quickly it will disappear once you have a plan in place.
The first step is to stop over spending. You need to make a list of all of your bills and monthly expenses. Decide what you can eliminate in order to put a little extra money towards paying off your debt. You can give up little things like trips to Starbucks or fast food. You will be surprised how quickly these little expenses add up.
Now write a list of all of your debt. Include the balance, interest rate and monthly payment. Now go down the list. Choose the one with the highest interest and pay as much extra on it as you can until it is paid off. Then move on to the next one. Remember to continue making the minimum monthly payments on all of your cards while you pay them off one by one.
Once your credit cards are paid off you can start putting the money you were spending on payments into a savings account for your kid's education. You will find that after a few years you are debt free and have more in savings than you thought possible.
You want to be sure that you are saving enough money for each of your children so you must set a goal. In order to know where to set your goals, call your local college and get an estimated cost for a four year degree for the year your children will be ready. Once you know approximately how much an education will cost you can calculate how much you need to save each month.
You don't have to be rich to save for your children's education. You just have to be smart with your money and be strict with your budget. If you are having trouble with all of the calculations you can find help on the internet. There are websites like www.personalfinanceissues.com that have financial calculators that can help you with every step. You can do it and your kids will thank you for it.