School expenses can add very quickly. It is important to budget carefully and decide at the beginning of the year just how much you are willing to spend on each of your children throughout the year. In addition to little items such as school lunch, school supplies and field trips. Here are four school-related expenses that you may not have considered.
1) School field trips and overnight trips are becoming more expensive every year. Your child does not necessarily need to attend all the overnight trips, especially if you cannot afford them. You may offer to pay fifty percent, and have your child come up with the other fifty percent to cover the trips. Your child can work a part-time job or participate in the fundraising activities offered by the school.
2) If your child is involved in sports or other extracurricular activities, you may have a lot of fees involved with these activities. You may decide to set a cap on how much your spend and have your child earn the difference. If you decide to pay this for him, then you should budget it into your monthly expenses. You can break down the cost of fees into a monthly amount to save for them.
3) You may find that your child needs tutoring in a certain subject. Shop around carefully for the right tutor for your child. Some tutoring services are much more expensive than others are. You may save money by asking your child’s teacher for a list of tutors. Private tutors may charge lower rates than national chains—of course you still need to think of your child’s safety and take the necessary precautions.
4) Another common expense is the fundraising done on behalf of your school This may be done by your PTA or it may be done to support a certain organization that your child is involved in. You should not feel pressured to spend more than you can afford. Simply decide how much it is, and then stick to your limit. You may need to divide the amount between your children’s different schools and activities.
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