Look, just because the majority of scholarships are geared toward high school juniors and seniors does not mean your search for scholarships should end with your child's graduation from high school.

Your kid can get scholarships (free money for college) during their college years as well. And guess what? Other kids are not competing for these scholarships and grants so winning them are much easier.

I know, I know, your kid is working hard trying to maintain a grade-point-average that will allow them to stay at the school. They are too busy managing a challenging college course-load; maybe working a part-time job; or meeting new friends (yes, even if you don't want to believe it, your baby is "partying" and is not thinking about college costs right now. You know how it works, don't pretend you were a "saint" in college). They have no time to search for scholarships.

That's where you, dear parents, come in. We know when they go to college they will be too busy to actually look for scholarships themselves. So we're going to be preemptive in our college scholarship search. During your child's Junior and Senior year in high school, you and your child should make a list of all college scholarships that would apply to them once they are in college (which means, all scholarships for any major they are interested in, schools they showed the slightest interest it, etc.) List these scholarships, creating a calendar of of deadlines for the next year, then you and your child can plan to apply to these scholarships the next year.

You and your child should plan to create a "scholarship calendar" every summer or winter break. By creating a new scholarship calendar each year, you and your child can find new scholarships that apply to the changing interests and needs of your child. Don't forget to keep up with your child's "current" scholarships using this calendaring idea. Remember, many scholarships require your child to reapply each year.

If you take the job of creating a "scholarship calendar" seriously, you may find that your child benefits from a college education without embarking on student loans (aka debt serfdom) that many other college graduates experience.