Between returning from vacation and being completely swamped with work, I’d been in need of a Costco run. I was considering doing a Costco SameDay order (aka “InstaCart”), but in the penultimate stage of the cart, the $3 “priority fee” annoyed me enough to hesitate. I was distracted the rest of the day with work phone calls. By the next morning, I realized I needed gas anyway, so I just went when they opened and avoided the crowds. ...
In 2004, I was pondering saving for my kids’ college tuition, considering my options between Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition program and the Missouri MOST 529. At the time, the GET credits were priced with an equivalent of a 2-year front-end load. Based on my relatively late start, I felt it was enough of an issue that I should stick with a 529. I revisited this in 2010 shortly after the market had its 2008 meltdown. It was too late to really do the GET. Carolyn Adolph, the local NPR affiliate interviewed me. I couldn’t find the transcript, but I think I was feeling kind of dumb for going with a 529 vs the Washington State GET plan. ...