12 ways to beat the hidden costs of college

The damage. You can sign up for lots of "extras" to make life easier for your child, such as errand services ($25 to $40 an hour for everything from prescription pickups to grocery shopping); laundry service (about $400 a year); and personalized care packages ($30 to $50).


Quick fix. Put together a DIY care package. For everything else, just say no. After all, do you really want your child to graduate from college without knowing how to do her own laundry?

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