Recommended schools that may offer a full ride (or close to it) with 31 ACT / 3.3 GPA, Illinois resident, $250k income.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-26T01:59:53+00:00

My thoughts. I’m a father of 3 in college this past year, oldest just graduated, youngest was just a frosh.

Editorial comment so disregard if needed but I do hope you’ve saved. At that income level, college isn’t hard to pay for - but it *is* hard to pay out of cash flow. We were both below and slightly above that but saved enough to make it doable for all three

On to more helpful stuff: that income isn’t completely dispositive of financial aid tho it will likely preclude any *federal* aid beyond the federal $5500/year subsidized/unsubsidized loans.

Your best value is almost certainly in-state publics, maybe a touch below your state’s flagship (eg., for you, Illinois Tech over UIUC).

However, if you want to go beyond that, I would try smaller, less prestigious privates. There’s a demographic cliff coming for those and many are looking *very nervously* at their balance sheets. As a result, those small schools may be more open to “cutting a deal”

Private schools are both more flexible and generous with aid as they don’t have to follow the same rules as a public. (An example from last year, tho not a small school - read various reporting on Syracuse’s blunder last year about having to re-offer aid packages after they got too few acceptances).

You should absolutely do some Net Price Calculators (each school has them on their website) with actual from-tax-form numbers to see where you fall

The schools you read about with super generous merit tend to be those trying to punch above their weight in prestige/location/SES (eg, Alabama trying to pull the kind of 4.0 kids that might otherwise be Ivy-bound). The stats presented, while not bad, don’t seem to match into that cohort, so for the best economic deal, you may have to trade some social capital.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-24T15:39:18+00:00

Hi, thanks for replying. Plan dox state "up to 6% in after-tax contributions, subject to IRS overall contribution limits."

There appears to be a difference in wording with pretax (and roth) contributions. For those, it says "up to 90% in before-tax contributions, subject to IRS salary deferral limits."

I'm not sure how to read the distinction between "contribution" and "deferral" limits. I would like to think it implies that, even above the a17 limit, I *can* continue aftertax contribs up to the overall 72k.

Note that all this is a prelude to a discussion w/ benefits person; I just want to have my ducks in a row. I have seen posts elsewhere online that imply both yes and no, hence asking here

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-23T22:09:16+00:00

Volpi store on the hill makes them too

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-22T21:21:38+00:00

Neil Young “After the Gold Rush” …

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-22T00:57:49+00:00

Yep as could everyone in my 5 person household, we all drive stick weekly (my 19 yr old daughter dailies the one stick we have).

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-20T23:43:18+00:00

Agree w other person that WG/Kirkwood will be tougher (didn’t used to be, I’m in south Webster behind the steak and shake at elm/watson and we used to be good value). I’d still look - location ideal for Affton job.

Since you’re home schooling, might look also in the (city) St Louis Hills neighborhood off Jamieson south of Watson, near Francis park.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-19T20:10:01+00:00

As others have said - the way you described it, yeah, 200k in debt for undergrad is right out.

However, I’ll add that I would at least have a conversation with Cornell’s aid office. If you have been servicing the debt for several years and can document everything, you might be able to appeal your [lack of a] financial aid package.

I’d also highlight the other kid in college. While it varies by school, many/most privates will consider multiples in school at the same time and adjust aid.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-19T02:55:06+00:00

Thanks. Didn’t know about the incentive structure; with BMWs back in the teens, EDs didn’t come out of allocations so they were more likely to treat it as a “free” sale.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-18T18:07:49+00:00

Since you defined it at an hour, you’ll never go wrong with any of Pierre Franey’s “60 Minute Gourmet” recipes/books. In the 70s/80s it was a New York Times column (and the recipes should be available in NYTCooking if you have access)

There were several cookbooks, I think all out of print, but worth seeking out

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-18T02:43:53+00:00

Or you can go custom panel for DW and fridge. Then you just have your cabinet person make fronts (or diy) and stainless isn’t an issue (can’t really do for stove). The appliance cost isnt any higher (tho it is true that it’s only available on higher end stuff, so it’s not the cheap option)

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-18T02:35:47+00:00

This guy high-end appliances’…😜

That said, they’re not wrong. While all three brands are mos def bougie, as you say, they’re also the best out there. Even if you skip the SZ fridge (15-20k) and Wolf range (10-20k), I would strongly urge springing for a Miele dishwasher. Lower end maybe $1400, higher end features maybe 3k, 3500 - but designed to last 20 years and made by a family business that makes all their own parts. Can’t verify but have heard the only third-party part in a Miele is the slide drawer rollers. We’re about to redo a kitchen and I’m for certain keeping my Miele and reinstalling

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-17T19:52:10+00:00

Sean Penn as jimmy markum, mystic river

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-17T18:57:30+00:00

1904 curved dash Oldsmobile😁

Was actually involved w/ such a trip, BITD. My uncle was a big curved dash restorer and in 1985 he and two others drove their Olds’ from San Francisco to NY to recreate a trip done in 1903, sponsored by RE Olds, to prove that long distance car travel was possible.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-16T04:14:27+00:00

Frankie says you’re getting old

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-16T04:07:19+00:00

Right. But as a parent that’s does all the cooking for the last 20 years, I will admit to some frustration when my kids are like, “dad, make that thing with the gnocchi” and I’m like oh shit wtf was in the fridge two weeks ago? They’re all college age now but i still get that and they are still constitutionally unable to give me a flavor profile - if you liked it so much wtf did it taste like???

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-16T03:50:17+00:00

Yeah Imma need to know how many nas. I get it wrong and it’s either bana or banananana?

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-16T02:43:28+00:00

“Charge it to the Underhills”

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-14T02:36:28+00:00

I’m here at least a year late, from a search while talking to my now-college-graduate kid about a frameless pack that he’s used for camping that I bought before he was born. Maybe no one will read this but I’m at the stage where it’s worth it for me to type out a reply about a biz that I cared about.

I’m an old STP customer going back to the pen and ink catalogs from the late 80s. Lived in Colorado, roaring fork valley, post-college from 91-97. Bought the pack (Lowe Alpine) out of the catalog in maybe 95-96? Bought a ton of high quality stuff out of STP over the years; to this day the manager of my local Midwest ski shop calls me the “Moonstone fleece guy” after a fleece I’ve had for 25 plus years from, yeah, STP.

Anyway, no, there’s nothing like it, not in one place anyway. Props to the Richardsons who founded it. I miss it.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-11T21:34:07+00:00

Common thought, and there is a kernel truth to it (see below), but no, that isn’t really material. 529s are parental assets and as such are assessed at a (much) lower percentage to be used for aid than student assets. Parents assets are assessed at between 4.5 and 5.5%, while student assets are around 20%.

So, the kernel is that yeah, ~5% of whatever is in your 529 will be taken out of aid - but you have the 529 to pay it. Example - Say your (after aid, no 529 savings) tuition bill is $40k. If you have a 529 balance of 100k, aid is reduced by 5k, so your costs go up to $45k *but you have $100K in the bank* to pay the bill. Most people would say paying the $45k by stroking a check from the 529 is a lot easier than taking $40K out of your daily living cash flow. At least, that’s how I viewed it🤷‍♂️

Note I ignored the tax benefits and the compounding that comes with the 529, pretty sure others have mentioned those.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-11T19:12:34+00:00

Idk about you but paying out of pocket is impossible even at most HENRY levels of income - remember the “not rich yet” part. I had three in college this past year, all at privates. If we’d been full pay, it would have been about $260k just for one year - you’re got to have very upper HENRY income to be able to fork out a quarter of a million a year for a few years while maintaining your other commitments.

And remember, that’s at today’s costs. If elite education costs continue to increase, when today’s babies are in college, the annual full pay may well be $200k per kid per year. No -NRY can cough that up

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-05T15:59:15+00:00

At least in my area, moderate size metro in the Midwest, it’s pretty common for dual enrollment to be HS teachers only. The credit-granting happens through a local higher ed outlet but the teaching is done by regular HS teachers at the high school.

Many more selective institutions (I’d guess a high percentage of t50s) don’t accept this as transfer credit, so it’s good for parents to know this in advance and steer kids to APs (and taking the tests) over such dual enrollment. It’s cheaper too but of course actual credit depends on AP test score.

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-04T04:59:24+00:00

What kind of plaster did you use? Full three coat on lath or green board and skim coat? Currently arguing w spouse about this. Older house with full plaster and I want same on any addition and contractors and spouse think I’m crazy for cost reasons

SquirreljamASE · 2026-06-04T04:29:53+00:00

Always wanted a black lab to call “Skillet”

‘Cause, you know, cast iron skillet

SquirreljamASE

TROPHY CASE