Mama, I want to have an honest conversation with you today about college costs.
You know I don’t gatekeep around here. I’ve shared the hard truths about perimenopause, about the sandwich generation reality, about self-care being a wellness thing not a luxury thing. And today’s truth might be the most expensive one I’ve ever talked about on Orlando Mom.
I paid out of pocket to put two kids through college. Because I wasn’t prepared with Florida Prepaid.
There. I said it.
If you’re a Xennial mom in her 40s like me, raising both older kids and younger ones (my dual-generation crew — Gen Z plus Gen Alpha — keeps me on my toes), and you’re staring down the barrel of college tuition wondering how on earth this happened so fast, please pull up a chair. I want to tell you what I’ve learned the hardest way possible.
The Survey That Said the Quiet Part Out Loud
A new survey of 1,000 parents — conducted by Talker Research on behalf of College Ave — confirmed what I’ve been living for years whe nit comes to college costs:
- 50% of parents admit they have “no idea” how they’re going to afford college
- The average parent has saved $36,680 for college (which sounds like a lot until you look at tuition + room + board + books + life)
- Only 32% saved enough to “fully” fund it
- 51% expected to save enough — and 65% were SURPRISED by the actual cost
- On average, parents only fund 31% of their child’s education
- 82% of parents believe a parent SHOULD help their child pay for college
Look at that gap. We believe we should help. We assume we’ll be able to. And then real life hits, the costs are way bigger than we imagined, and we’re scrambling.
I was in the 65% who was surprised. I was in the 50% who didn’t know how I was going to afford it. And by the time I was scrambling, I was way past the window where Florida Prepaid would have saved me from the financial freefall.
What I Wish Someone Had Sat Me Down and Told Me 20+ Years Ago
When my older kids were little, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Especially when it came to college costs.
I was juggling a young family. I was working. I was trying to figure out babyhood and toddlerhood and kindergarten and youth sports schedules and dinner. The idea of college planning felt like science fiction — like something I could deal with “later.”
Later came faster than I expected. And by the time I was paying attention, the math wasn’t working.
So when my older kids hit college age, I did what so many parents in that survey are quietly doing. I cobbled it together. Out of pocket. Out of monthly cash flow. Out of “I’ll figure this out as I go.” Out of nights wondering if we were going to make this work.
We made it work. I’m proud of that. But it was brutal. And every single semester I paid tuition, I had the same thought: I wish I’d known about Florida Prepaid when these kids were little.
What Florida Prepaid Is (And Why I’m Telling Every Florida Mom About It Now)
This part is brought to you in partnership with Florida Prepaid College Board — a sponsor I genuinely, fully believe in because of how much it would have changed my life had I used it when my older kids were small. I am not embarrassed to tell you they sponsor this site. I am MOTIVATED to tell you about them.
Here’s the simple version:
Florida Prepaid lets you lock in the cost of college tuition at TODAY’s prices for your kid’s future education.
Read that again, mama. Today’s prices. Not 2030 prices. Not 2035 prices. Not 2042 prices when your toddler heads off to college. Today’s prices.
Florida Prepaid is backed by the State of Florida. The plans are designed to cover Florida College or Florida University tuition (and you can use them at out-of-state and private schools too at a transfer value). You can choose from a few plan options:
- 4-Year Florida University Plan — locks in 4 years of tuition at a Florida public university
- 2 + 2 Plan — 2 years at a Florida college + 2 years at a Florida university
- 4-Year Florida College Plan — 4 years at a Florida college
- 2-Year Florida College Plan — 2 years at a Florida college
- Dorm Plan — yes, you can lock in dorm costs too
You pay in monthly installments, lump sum, or 5-year payment plans. The cost depends on your child’s age when you enroll. The earlier you start, the smaller the monthly payment.
Open enrollment runs annually now (in the past it was Feb 1 through April 30 each year). And if you have an infant or toddler? The math is unreal in your favor.
Why I Wish I’d Done This With My Older Crew
Let me give you the version of my life I didn’t get to live.
Imagine if, when my older kids were three years old, I’d written a monthly check to Florida Prepaid that was less than what I spent on a tank of gas. Imagine if by the time those kids were 18, their tuition was already paid. Locked in at 2004 prices. Done. Handled. Funded. Independent of the wild inflation we’ve all just lived through.
Imagine no panicked tuition bills. No “how are we doing this” conversations. No watching my savings shrink. No second-guessing what I could have done differently.
That was the parallel-universe version of my life. And while I can’t go back and do it for my older kids (we made the math work the hard way), I CAN do it for my younger crew now.
That’s exactly what I’m doing. And I want you doing the same thing — for whichever of your kids still has time on their side.
What This Looks Like Right Now in My House
Here’s the strategy I’m running for college costs with my two sets of kids in 2026:
For my older Gen Z crew who are already in/through college:
- Federal aid + FAFSA filed every year
- Aggressive scholarship hunting
- Florida Bright Futures (USE IT, Florida moms — we live in a state that funds high-achieving students)
- In-state schools to keep tuition reasonable
- Kids contributing through summer + work-study jobs
- Out-of-pocket monthly contributions from us (the hard way)
For my younger Gen Alpha crew:
- Florida Prepaid enrollment — locked in at today’s prices
- 529 savings on top of that (Florida 529 Savings Plan can cover books, housing, fees beyond tuition)
- Teaching them about money EARLY so they have skin in the game when the time comes
- Hunting for scholarships will still be part of the plan in 12 years
- Bright Futures (and praying it still exists when they’re 18)
The difference between these two strategies when it comes to college costs is night and day. And the only variable that changed is time.
A Quick Reframe From My IIN Days
I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2019, and one of the lessons I carry with me every day is the concept of “primary food” — the idea that the most nourishing parts of your wellness aren’t on a plate. They’re your relationships, your peace, your finances, your sense of security.
Financial stress is primary food. The midnight spiral about college costs is primary food. The “how are we going to afford this” panic that lives in your nervous system is primary food.
Florida Prepaid was the missing piece of MY primary food plan years ago. And the fact that I get to write about it now — as someone who’s lived the alternative — is the closest thing I’ll get to a do-over.
I don’t want any of you in that 50% of parents who has “no idea” how they’re going to make this work. I want you in the lock-it-in-while-they’re-little camp.
What Real Parents Said in the Survey
The survey also asked current college parents what their #1 piece of advice was for parents about to start. The answers will sound familiar to me — and probably to you:
“Help them, but also allow them to help themselves.”
“Be prepared for all the changes. Mentally and financially. It is a lot at once.”
“Start saving money early in your child’s life for school.”
That last one. Start. Saving. Early. Every single parent I know who’s been through this says the same thing. And for Florida families, that “early saving” doesn’t have to be a guessing game with a brokerage account. Florida Prepaid has done the math for you.
Other Real Numbers From the Survey Worth Knowing
If you’re already in or near the college years and feeling buried, here’s the honest reality of how families are funding college:
- 41% of parents plan for their child to get a job during school
- 41% plan for the child to take out federal student loans
- 37% have their child working on breaks/summer
- 17% of parents get a second job themselves
- 16% take out federal parent loans (PLUS loans)
- 16% take out private parent loans
- 33% of current college students took out federal student loans
- 21% took out private student loans
- 72% of parents are concerned about juggling college costs WITH other financial obligations
Translation: nobody is doing this alone, and nobody is doing this from one savings account. It is a patchwork — federal aid, scholarships, family contribution, loans, and the kid’s own work.
But for the LONG game? For the 8-year-old in your house? For the kindergartener? For the baby? Florida Prepaid changes the math entirely.
A Practical Action List
Here’s what I would tell my younger self if I could:
1. If you have a kid under 18 in Florida, look at Florida Prepaid TODAY. Learn about Florida Prepaid and run the numbers on what a plan would cost based on your child’s age. The earlier they are, the smaller the payment.
2. Pair Florida Prepaid with a 529 Savings Plan if you can. Florida Prepaid covers tuition. A 529 Savings Plan can cover everything ELSE — housing, books, fees, technology, study abroad. Both are tax-advantaged.
3. Plan to take advantage of Florida Prepaid open enrollment. Open enrollment for Florida Prepaid 529 Plans are now open for enrollment year-round, giving you flexibility to plan for it.
4. If your kids are already in or near college: pivot. Maximize FAFSA. Hunt for every scholarship — local, national, niche, school-specific, department-specific, weird-interest-based. Use Florida Bright Futures. Make the kid part of the financial conversation. Consider community college first, in-state pricing, and creative paths.
5. Don’t raid your retirement to pay for college. You can borrow for college. You can’t borrow for retirement. Please protect your future self.
6. Talk to your kids about money. The most powerful thing you can give your kid is a financial education. Whether you can pay for their college or not, they should understand how money works before they leave your house.
7. Take care of YOU through all of this. The cortisol of college panic is real. Sleep. Walk. Eat real food. Read our self-care reset piece. You cannot strategize your family’s future from a fried nervous system.
The Most Honest Thing I’ll Say in This Article
If I could rewind the tape of my parenting life, the single financial decision I would change is this: I would have enrolled my older two in Florida Prepaid the year they were born to get ahead of college costs.
Not because I’m bitter about how it played out — we figured it out, and I’m proud of how hard we worked.
But because if I could have given them (and us!) those years of locked-in tuition, those years of NOT having midnight financial panic, those years of just KNOWING that piece was handled — I would.
I can’t go back. But you can move forward. And I am telling every Florida mom in my orbit, on my site, in my DMs, and on this blog: if your kid is still little, please look at Florida Prepaid.
A Final Word From One Honest Mom to Another
The 50% of parents in this survey who have no idea how to pay for college? I was one of them. I lived that statistic. I wrote the checks. I lost sleep. I figured it out the hard way.
I don’t want that for you. Not if there’s still time on the clock.
If you’ve got a kid under 10 in your house, you have a window to prep for college costs— and Florida Prepaid is the easiest way I know to use it. If your kid is older, there are still moves to make. And whatever season you’re in, you are not failing. You are doing one of the most loving, expensive, beautiful jobs a human can do.
Let’s set the next generation up better than we set ourselves up. And let’s stop pretending college planning is something we’ll “get to later.”
Later comes way too fast, mama. Trust me.
🎓 Learn more about Florida Prepaid College →
This post is sponsored by Florida Prepaid College Board. All opinions, mistakes, late-night panics, and lessons learned are 100% my own.
Research methodology: Talker Research surveyed 500 parents of future 4-year college students and 500 parents of current 4-year college students with internet access; the survey was commissioned by College Ave and conducted online between April 30 and May 5, 2026.
