I'm looking for good places to make some small regular deposits. I've got a variety of things I wanna save for - kids college (so probably some sort of 529 plan I assume), car replacement, etc. I figure most I'll wanna be depositing like 10-50 bucks a month into them, and I'd prefer separate accounts for each thing. I'm flexible on the risk level of the investments. Surely there's something better than just a savings account or CD, even these days.

I have been using Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund Investor Shares lately as an investment. The share price is of course not guaranteed, but it does pay dividends. Currently it is yielding 4.66%. I have also been using Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund, but it is only good as long as interest rates are low and inflation is not an issue. It is yielding 3.84%, but it's share price does not fluctuate as much. Bottom line, to get more that a money market or CD you need to take more risk. It depends on the time horizon for when you will need the money.

I definitely recommend Vanguard for keeping all of the costs low. They also have an exceptionally good website for viewing your investments in various ways (much, much better than Smith Barney's website, for instance).

A 529 plan is also a good idea. Which one you choose depends on the state in which you live. I live in PA which allows deducting money invested in a 529 plan, no matter which state's plan you invest in. I chose Ohio's 529 plan because they use Vanguard funds and the fees are about the lowest I could find.

cool, cause I'm in Ohio

I'll look into vanguard first then.