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. Even when I try avoiding these money requests, it never seems to end. Payday loans may be an option should this not let up soon. Even though the recession is affecting everyone, this must stop. What can be done about this? Millions of parents across the nation are facing this exact same thing. Follow these tips to stop the endless stream of money leaving your account and going to the school’s account.
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. There is something working for you if they do this. You can plan ahead to budget for these expenses. When these notes come home, be sure to notice the due date. This due date may be after your next payday. There will be time to put plan for this in your budget, if this is the case. You can always plan ahead for future expenses that the school wants you to pay.
Once you create a budget, be sure that you have allowed some extra money in it for school expenses. Choose how much you think will be needed and then allow about $ 10 above that amount. You should be able to cover for extra expense notes your little angel brings home. You are not free to spend this money even if there are no school expenses during this pay period. At the end of your pay period, put this into your savings account instead. Your money can then grow for other purposes.
Choose Your Expenses
Can you choose your expenses? Any and every expense note that comes home is not required to be paid. Fund raisers and other such events are optional, regardless of what your child may tell you. All things are optional, but some are for school or curriculum related events, while others are outside of school. I ignore all the other notes except the curriculum related items, such as field trips or choir shirts. Choose just the expenses you can and will pay, and then wait until your next pay period if possible.
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. Paying late or having the fee waived may be possible if you share your situation with them. Try working with them on any curriculum related expenses before taking out a payday loan. Be sure you know how to avoid the excessive interest rates if you must do that.
Bottom Line
Remember—you do NOT have to pay for everything your child brings home. Should your district impose fees at the beginning of the year, you may get them waived. You may get the other fees waived if your children have a free or reduced meals status. There may be certain fees that you can negotiate, but then there will be others that must be paid in full. Choosing your own expenses is a possibility, even when it does not seem to be so. During the school year, if you follow these tips, you may be able to reduce the number of payday loans you take out.
