So, I know i'm only 22 years old, but i'm already thinking about retirement. I've been reading "Smart Couples Finish Rich" By: David Bach, and it's really got me thinking alot on how I want to live my life when I'm retired. The only thing is that I don't really know much about IRA's. My father-in-law was telling me that our best bet is to get a Roth IRA, something about taxes being taken out now rather than later. Now, with me being a SAHM, my husband can open me a Spousal IRA. Don't really know much about that except we have to make enough money for him to open me one.

Anyway, on the other hand, College Savings for the munchkins. I've been thinking about opening a savings account for them next month that way when they're older, we can give them the money. I've been told by my mother-in-law that that I had to be careful about it. She said that by saving them some money, it can disqualify them for financial aid when it comes to college. Now, is this true? I don't understand why it would disqualify them for financial aid.

Also, another question that I have is College Funds. What is the difference between Coverdell and 529 Plans? What if I invest all this money for the schooling, and they decide they don't want to go to college? What happens to the money then?

UGH! Maybe I should just cross my fingers and hope the girls will have a free ride to college?

I have this tradition that I do before the New Year, and it's to clean the house spotless, get rid of old/unused things, and reorganize the house. It's a little asian tradition that my family did for years, but the husband does not understand. We do it to rid the house of "bad" luck, and start fresh for the New Year bringing "good" luck.

I know, I know, it sounds stupid, but it's important to me, and the husband thinks it's silly. So now, I'm trying to do all this on my own. How could I? I have two girls who wants my attention 24/7, a dog who loves tearing shit up, and a husband who doesn't pick up after himself. To make things worst, I have to plan Christmas dinner, buy presents, and finish my finals for class. I feel like i'm barely keeping myself above water, and it's killing me!

I desperately wish I had the help I need to make all this go away.

I'm contemplating on enrolling my four-year-old in PreK so that she can have a feel of how kindergarten is going to be like next year. I have mixed feelings about it because it's $72.00 a week, and I don't want to lose out on $288.00 I can be saving a month. Then again, I keep trying to tell myself that it's never a waste of money when it comes to your child's education, but is PreK really needed?

to be back in Hawaii with my family right now. I envy the life I could've had if I had stayed with my dad, but things happen for a reason. I don't regret having a baby and getting married at 18, moving away from family, and living on my own because I'm somewhat proud of the person i've become. Granted, that there are things i'd want to change like getting a degree, a great paying job, etc, but those type of things take time, and as long as I'm still going to school and working towards those things, it'll happen one day.

I just found out that my dad bought his second house in Ewa Beach. The funny thing is that he bought his first house back in July. He's going through all these crazy ventures to make sure my daughters can live a good life. He calls them "Trust Fund babies". I can't believe that my girls have a house, and they're under the age of 5. There's just a catch in order for the to inherit everything from my dad:

1) They have to finish college w/bachelors degree.
2) They can't be married or have babies until after college.

If they don't complete these two things that my dad asks of them, they won't get anything from him which is pretty understandable. My dad had high hopes for me when I was younger, and getting pregnant at 17 wasn't one of them. It was a major disappointment, and he cut me off of his life for two years.

Now, I'm just trying to make my dad proud of me by getting a degree, being successful in whatever I chose to do, and standing on my own financially.