A painless way to accumulate money for college is UPromise. It’s a shopping referral program run by Sallie Mae that gives you rebates on things you buy from participating companies. All you have to do is remember to click on the link on the UPromise site.
You can put the rebate money into a 529 plan or keep it in cash. Then, you can take the money out when the kid is going to college. You can also have other people link to your children’s account (e.g., grandparents) to accumulate more money that way.
I signed up when the company was founded, and 13 years later, there’s $600 set aside for college. Will this pay for much? No. It’s probably good for half of the first semester’s textbook bill. But do you want to turn down $600?
