Recession Affecting Schools
It seems to never end—the streams of money that my children’s schools are expecting me to give to them just so they can either go on field trips or buy team shirts. It is all I can do to avoid these, but they still keep coming. A payday loan may be in my future if they do not end. If the recession is affecting everyone, there is no need to continue asking the parents to shoulder the burden. When will this end? Parents are facing this all across the country. You can cope with the endless stream of money going out of your account to the school.
Budget Well—Budget Often
If your child is constantly bringing home notes that ask you for money for everything under the sun, it may be hard to budget this. If they do this, you have one thing working for you. Create space in your budget for these little expenses. The note will have the due date on it, so take the time to note this. This is going to be after your next payday. You will have some time to put this expense in your budget. If not, there is still a way to plan for the myriad of expenses the school is expecting you to pay.
When you make out a budget for a pay period, be it either two weeks or a month at a time, create a section for school expenses. The amount you may need may be more than you think, so allow about $ 10 over this amount. This will allow you to have the money ready should your little angel bring home more expense notes. If you do not have to pay any school expenses, this does not excuse you for spending the money. This really should be put into a savings account. This will help your money to grow for other reasons.
Choose Your Expenses
Can you choose your expenses? There is nothing that says you have to pay every expense note that comes home. In spite of what your child wants you to believe, fund raisers and other such events are optional. Really, all things are optional, but some could be school or curriculum related items. The curriculum related items only get paid for in my house, while all other notes are ignored. Wait until the last possible minute to pay only the expenses you choose, especially if you have to wait until your next pay period.
Negotiate with the School
If you just do not have the money to pay on time for an expense such as a field trip, try calling the school. Sharing the situation with them may help you get the fee waived, or at least be able to pay late. After trying to work with the school on the curriculum related items, and it does not work, then you may need a payday loan. To avoid paying the high interest rates, be sure you know what you are doing in case you have to do this.
Bottom Line
Remember—you do NOT have to pay for everything your child brings home. It is possible for you to get the fees imposed by your district at the beginning of the year waived. With a free or reduced meals status, your fees may automatically be waived. There may be certain fees that you can negotiate, but then there will be others that must be paid in full. It’s really up to you to choose your expenses. During the school year, if you follow these tips, you may be able to reduce the number of payday loans you take out.
