Do You Upromise?

The day after Sam was born, I was suddenly more interested in saving for college than the day before. There's a lot of different sub-topics I'd like to discuss in this area:

• Does saving for college hurt your chances for free money for college?
• How much do we need to save?
  
• What percentage of education should be the child's burden?
• 529 plans vs. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts vs. regular investments
• Which 529 plan to use?

For today, I'd like to focus on one very unique way to save money for college called Upromise. Upromise, in a nutshell, is a way to earn college savings as a percentage of the things you already buy. Money earned is then periodically swept into your child's 529 college savings plan which earns money tax free until needed for college.

What I like about Upromise is that the money you earn is on top of any other savings you might be getting. Say for example you buy gas and pay with a cash-back credit card (see my previous entry on recommended credit cards here: http://casadwyer.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html). The money added to your Upromise account is in addition to the 5% cash-back you get on your credit card. Great deal, right?

So far, Sam has saved $1,099 for college through Upromise. To be fair $937 of that was from a single mortgage transaction. The easiest way to earn money through Upromise is by registering your credit card(s) with Upromise so that all the purchases you make trigger contributions for eligible products. It doesn't really add up very quickly unless you do your shopping through Upromise (like the mortgage transaction or other online shopping) which involves launching your transaction by first stopping in at the Upromise web site and then clicking through and shopping as you normally would.

Here's your call to action:

• If you have little ones of your own, sign up for Upromise and start saving.
  
• If you don't have little ones of your own and are willing to take the time to sign up, do so and select your favorite future genius as a beneficiary.

I recently became a Upromise affiliate.  Sign up through the button below and I'll get a referral bonus:



Whether or not one of our little guys is your favorite future genius, we'd be happy to walk you through the process if you're willing to take the time. Just drop one of us an E-mail if you have questions. Thanks!

Flip This Shed

While we were at the hospital getting to know Will, Deanna's dad spent a couple of days fixing up a dilapidated shed we had in our backyard. I thought this thing was fit to be demolished, but he did an amazing job fixing it up. It's hard to believe that any of the new structure is original- the shed looks awesome! It's a fine example of his thrift.

After Remodeling:



I thought for sure we'd be better off knocking the old shed over and buying one of these: Walpole Woodworkers Sheds

I think the final result compares quite favorably with the very expensive pre-fab solutions.

Our thanks to Deanna's dad for this project, and for his tireless interest in improving our home in cost effective ways. His enthusiasm for caring for our house is amazing- we're fortunate to have him in our lives. Thanks to Sue as well for being supportive of his spending time visiting us- and for planting fresh flowers in the flower box. What a nice finishing touch. Our house doesn't even have flower boxes!

Before Remodeling:

Twins?

Here's a picture of Sam at 1 week to compare to Will's 1 week picture below.

Although (I think) they look very similar at this stage, their personalities are distinct. For example, our first trip out of the house with each baby was the same- a trip to a nearby Target. Sam had his first "melt down" on that trip- crying inconsolably while we practically ran out of the store. Will, however, snoozed through the whole thing. He continued to sleep through lunch when we got home.

Here's hoping that Will keeps it up. I think it's going to be tough taking care of these 2 guys, but Will's snoozy behavior makes it quite a bit easier.

It's a Boy!

We're thrilled to let you know that William Jameson arrived Wednesday, June 6th at 10:50 AM. He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20.5" long. "Will" looks just like his brother Sam did when he was born. He's got a wonderfully gentle disposition so far- he loves to be held. He's doing well. The pediatrician said, "He looks great- I've got nothin'"- for that we are very grateful.

Deanna is recovering well and we're home now resting and getting acclimated to life with 2 dudes. Aunt Sarah did an amazing job taking care of Sam 24 hours a day while we were in the hospital- for that we are very appreciative.

Welcome to this world, Baby Will!