1 + 1 = 529

So even though we haven't gotten any further in the house hunt; I have been hunting. And while I have been perusing listing after listing of houses that we both can't afford and don't like, for the most part, I had forgotten an astonishing consideration. Schools. Not lower ed, because we have that covered almost anywhere around here, but higher ed. Living in Virginia means that Wiggle could eventually go to the University of Virginia or William and Mary or Virginia Tech at in-state tuition prices. Those prices today? About $12,000/yr! Those are some seriously good schools at an outstanding price. Plus, we can buy his tuition today at those prices with a 529 plan. We can even buy a year at a time, since we can't really afford to drop $50,000 on his college fund, even if it is a really good deal. How could I have missed that? So I've been looking less in Maryland and more in Virginia.

Of course, even that doesn't seal the deal. There are still a lot of unknowns to deal with. Wiggle might not get into those schools. I heard from a neighbor that being a white male from Fairfax county means he would practically have to have cured a disease or a book deal to get in. Plus, there's no guaranteeing that those schools will even be state schools in 15 years. I know that sounds weird, but the state is constantly cutting their budgets, and the schools have been trying to make it up, but eventually they might be considered financial sink holes. Also, he might not want to go to those schools, or he could get a scholarship, or we could end up moving to another state anyway, or most likely the higher cost of living in Virginia might negatively impact our quality of life until Wiggle leaves for college. Can you tell I've been thinking about this too much?

This week I need to do some sorting and get some info from the bank and contact some realtors. Maybe then this headache I've had for three days will simmer down.

In Wiggle news - He took a hugely scary tumble down the stairs today. After approximately five seconds of kissing and hugging and making sure nothing was injured, he promptly said "Back to the top!" He then went back up the stairs and started to come down again with as little care as he had just moments earlier. He picked up the dropped hat and mp3 player holder that he had originally been carrying and descended with a big grin. This boy has some spirit; yes, he does.

He also does a mean rock-rendition of Twinkle, twinkle little star.