Savvy and Almost Free Ways to Save for Your Children's College Tuition

With the price tag of college tuition going up every year, parents of young children today can feel overwhelmed by how they will one day be able to afford to send their child to college. This is especially true for low income families or families that live paycheck to paycheck, as a lot of Americans do.

My family is one of those families that often live paycheck to paycheck or when we DO get ahead, the transmission in the car goes out and all that extra money is quickly spent. Having three children, I am not disillusioned that when the time comes I will be able to pay for 100% of their college. But my hope is to be able to help them as much as possible and hopefully be able to at least pay for their first year. And since putting aside a certain amount of money each month for each child is just is not possible for my family right now, I have searched for other means of saving for my children's future.

My best discovery yet has been Upromise. Upromise is a free service to families that helps them to earn money for education by partnering with hundreds of businesses that will reward their customers for using their products and services. It's as simple as registering at www.upromise.com, which is free, and then registering your grocery savings cards, debit and credit cards. Upon making purchases with qualifying companies or purchasing products bearing the Upromise logo, the percentage that the individual company has contracted with Upromise to pay back to you is then deposited into your account. These savings can be used for college, grad school or even paying down an existing student loan. You can even get your family and friends to register THEIR grocery cards, debit or credit cards to your account so that you can earn even MORE when they purchase qualifying items or shop thru select companies. You can earn money back by doing what you're already doing in your everyday life...grocery shopping, shopping, filling your car up with gas, dining, and even when you purchase airline tickets, purchase or refinance your house! During the 2007 Christmas season, my family earned back a little over $40 from purchasing Christmas gifts alone.