It's no secret that college is expensive and the economy isn't so healthy right now. But one family has always put education first when it comes to making financial decisions. That planning is paying off with their daughter, Emily Cianciosi.

Cianciosi is now marching for Mizzou, a dream she has had since grade school. When she's not on the field practicing or performing, she's in class. Although most of her time is spent on campus, her parents chose a different option for her when it comes to housing.

"I think it's more affordable for her to live at home. I think it's more practical because for her to live in the dorm would cost like another whole year's tuition," said mother Catherine Carpenter. Cianciosi doesn't mind the commute and paying for gas.

"I think that it's like compared to the cost of living in a dorm and living on campus, it's a lot cheaper even with the daily commute," Cianciosi said.

"She drives to school every day, but even those costs, gas even at it's highest, it's still less than it would be if she were on campus," Carpenter said.

Her mother also says she's glad her daughter is close to home.

"It's a state school, so there's a land grant. It's got a good reputation," Carpenter said.

The Cianciosi's say they've always had a reputation of using their money wisely and hoping their children do the same.

"It's kind of tough to get in the whole mindset when you're still at home. I still feel like I am adjusting to college life because it's hard just like having the comforts of your home but not being in high school anymore. But, I think I am working it out," Cianciosi said.

Emily's mother is happy her daughter's sacrifice of a "normal college dorm life" has paid off.

KOMU 8 News spoke with Attorney General Jay Nixon and Congressman Kenny Hulshof to hear their plans for the future of Missouri's schools.

"Beyond that, the institutions themselves, rather than them having to increase tuition all the time, we focused on a higher education formula to make sure that we are no longer at the bottom rung of the rungs of the ladder," said Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof. "We are the 47th in the country as far as our commitment to higher education with funding, so we put forward a specific formula to help fund our institutions. So they'll have some certainty of funding, and hopefully then not have to raise tuition rates and raise tuition fees," Hulshof said.

"Yes I laid out real clear what I call the Missouri Promise that takes our A+ school program and makes that student eligible rather than school eligible," said Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jay Nixon. "So every kid across the state, if they met those A+ requirements, would be eligible for two years of community college. Then we'd take it one step further; say you're in the middle class ranking making about $80,000 or less, we're going to make that a four year program so you can get four years tuition free as long as you make the promise to do your community service and keep your grades at a B average. I think it's the kind of investment in the future that can have hundreds of thousands of folks graduate debt-free and begin once they graduate to get this economy going again-buying the new cars and the new houses and other things that folks used to do when they graduated from college," Nixon said.