You Need Money WHEN?
Recession Has Affected the 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. The never ending money requests keep coming in spite of what I try to do to avoid them. If an end is not in sight soon, I will have to take out a payday loan. Though the recession is affecting even the schools, they cannot make the parents bear the burden. What can be done about this? Parents across the nation are facing this exact scenario. It can be possible to stop this stream of money leaving your pocket.
Budget Often and Budget Well
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. Once you can plan ahead, you can create space in your budget for these expenses. The note will have the due date on it, so take the time to note this. This date will more than likely be after your next payday. If you know about this in advance, this expense can go into your budget. It may still be possible for you to pay the many expenses the school expects you to pay.
Be sure to put in a section for school expenses when creating a budget. If you think you need a certain amount, allow $ 10 over that. If there are more expense notes coming home than you planned on, you will be ready. You are not free to spend this money even if there are no school expenses during this pay period. However, you should put this amount into your savings account at the end of your pay period. You can then grow your money for emergencies and other purposes.
Choosing Your Expenses
Can you choose your expenses? Every expense note that comes home does not require you to pay it. While your child may tell you otherwise, fund raisers and other events are optional. Even though some of them are for school or curriculum related things, all of these are optional. While ignoring the other notes, I just pay for the curriculum related items. If you must wait until your next pay period to pay your chosen school expenses, this may be entirely possible to do.
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. Any of the curriculum related expenses can be worked out, so try this 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. A free or reduced meals status will have the school waiving the fees for you. Throughout the year, there will be some fees that you can negotiate, while others must be paid in full. Choose your own expenses that you will pay. During the school year, if you follow these tips, you may be able to reduce the number of payday loans you take out.
