More Money for School, But Less For You

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. I keep trying to avoid this, but it never seems to end. After giving into these requests for a while, a payday loan will help me get back on track financially. With the recession taking hold of everyone, it makes sense they need to let up on these requests. What can be done about this? Nationwide, millions of parents are facing this same thing on a daily basis. The endless stream of money leaving your pocket to go to the school can be stopped.

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. You have something working in your favor when they do this. It’s called “planning ahead”, and it can help you budget for these little expenses. The due date will be on the note, so look for this when it gets to you. This will probably be after your next payday. If you have the time, this expense can be planned for in your budget. If it is not the case, you can still plan for the many expenses the school wants you to pay.

Be sure to put in a section for school expenses when creating a budget. The amount you may need may be more than you think, so allow about $ 10 over this amount. If there are more expense notes coming home than you planned on, you will be ready. Just because you did not have to pay school expenses, you do not need to spend this money. You can put this into your savings instead. By doing this, your money will then be able to grow for other purposes.

Choose Your Expenses

Can you choose your expenses? There is nothing that says you have to pay every expense note that comes home. Fund raisers and other events are optional, in spite of what your child wants you to believe. Even though some of them are for school or curriculum related things, all of these are optional. Curriculum related items only get paid for from my pocket, while I ignore the rest. Wait until the last possible minute to pay only the expenses you choose, especially if you have to wait until your next pay period.

Talk To 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. If you share your situation with them, they may be able to either waive the fee or let you pay late. Before you go take out a payday loan, try to work with them on any of the expenses for the curriculum related items. If you must do that, however, be sure you know what you are getting into to avoid paying excessive interest rates.

It’s Not a Requirement

Remember—you do NOT have to pay for everything your child brings home. Your district may impose certain fees at the beginning of the school year that you may get waived. When your children get approved for a free or reduced meals status, these fees can be waived for you. Some fees can be negotiated away, while others cannot and will have to be paid in full. It’s really up to you to choose your expenses. Throughout the year, if you follow these tips, you can take out less payday loans.