Having someone else pay for your education is, of course, the ultimate money saver. You might be thinking that you can't qualify for a scholarship because your grades aren't good enough or you're because you're not an athlete or an artist. Well, think again! There are scholarships, of varying amounts of money, tailored to just about every type of person and criteria that you can imagine.

For instance, my children (if I had any) would qualify for a $10,000 scholarship from the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association simply because their father (me) was a firefighter. There are thousands of organizations and special interest associations just like this one that award unusual scholarships to people who match their specific criteria.

When looking for a scholarship don't preclude any of your possible qualifications. Consider your hobbies, interests, membership in social organizations, ethnicity, heritage, etc. Any of these factors could make you eligible for scholarship money.

Most scholarships are awarded based on ability and performance though, meaning they are looking for well-rounded individuals that participate in academic and social activities. Many of them also require some sort of essay, which gives them a good idea of your education and enthusiasm for learning. In short, you'll have to earn the money. But, if you truly want a scholarship there are plenty to be had if you're willing to work for them.

There are a number of websites that offer free scholarships searches. Typically you fill out a questionaire and then you'll be given a list of scholarships for which you're eligible. Along with that you'll get all the contact details and instructions for applying to each scholarship. Here are two of the best scholarship searches on the web:

• Scholarship Experts

• Fastweb Scholarship Search

Otherwise, you could take the more tedious approach of searching through one of the scholarship books listed to the right.

Either way, get out there and start looking for your scholarship money! You never know what you might find.