Summer holiday is ending soon and back to school season is approaching! For kids, this is a dreadful time because their holiday is about to end. For parents, it often means having to spend a bunch of money. To say the least, September is not often the best month when it comes to savings.
I’ve jog down a few things below for us to think about while getting your kids through school. Let me know what you think.
Computer – If your child is going to university, one of the first suggestions is having a laptop. This can often get extremely expensive and the cost is only high because your child is telling you what he/she wants instead of what he/she needs. Don’t get me wrong, the laptop is the number one essential tool to get through school these days but you do not need the highest end graphics card and a huge LCD display to finish the math assignment. Try to look for value by comparing different brands. For more help, you might want to talk to the representatives at best buy or the school tech department without your son/daughter being there.
Supplies – Everyone always oversupply themselves with pens, papers, rulers and erasers. For most students, these supplies often get lost because they keep too many in the pencil case. We need one pen to write on and not 15. Stop wasting money by buying a box even if it costs less. The more there are lying around, the easier it is that they get lost.
Backpack – This is more of a fashion thing than a need and we should treat it that way. Our children will be happier that way too. What I’m saying here is that parents should not treat this as a back to school item since we wouldn’t treat a new pair of shoes as a back to school item either.
Books – There are used books, new books and some students don’t need any books at all to get through school! Don’t just spend all the money before your child even gets to class. Figure out how your child studies and what’s necessary before spending all the hard earned money on those brand new paper weights.
Tuition – There isn’t really much we can do here. Some schools offer credit card payment though so it might be one avenue to explore. Just remember that a student loan and not a credit card loan is the way to pay the tuition if we cannot pay it off immediately.
New Everything on the First Day of School – Parents that feel the pressure to buy a new set of clothes, new equipment, supplies and everything else for their kids on the first day need to lighten up. Spacing out the purchases will actually make the youngster happier because he/she is constantly given new stuff! (To mom and dad: we are happier getting 10 new toys throughout the year than getting 10 new toys all at once!!)
Stop Looking at Advertisements – There is no need to look at the ads to figure out what our kids really need for the school year. (Read Money Musing’s article on a Best Buy ad if more convincing is needed!) We should ask the teacher what our children will be doing throughout the year in more detail. Once we have an idea, we can think of what their needs are based on the plan from the teacher. This helps with not letting our children fool us with what he/she wants.
Buy Everything that is Needed at Once – The title is a little contradictory to the other point about not buying everything on the first day. However, I’m talking about not buying things one at a time here. Figure out everything that is needed first, write them all down and plan a budget before stepping out the door. As with everything we buy, there is always a better and more expensive version. If we always let the salesperson talk us into the higher end version, we will be broke in no time!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that some kids gets a new set of everything on the first day of school. Those kids are just spoiled!
I’d say it’s worth it to invest in a quality backpack with free lifetime replacement than to make a kid use a cheap backpack for multiple years, or buy a new cheap one every year. I’ve had my Jansport for 7 years, through high school and college, and now my husband uses it at university since I’m done. It’s comfortable for carrying heavy loads and that makes a big difference in the way you feel at the end of the day.
Calvin: I hear ya
Emily: I used to get very happy when I get a new backpack. I would vote for cheap one every year than an expensive one for years on end!