Save money preparing your child for school
Today was a big day for me ... my first born started school. It was a defining moment, the end of an era - maybe I am being overly dramatic but I couldn't help but think she is now in the hands of someone else to raise, mould and develop. My reign of full parental control was well and truly over!
Over the past couple of weeks I have spent an absolute fortune preparing for this big day, school uniforms, lunch boxes, books (tissues for mum) ...the list goes on. At the hand over this morning I met some new mums, who all had great tips on how they saved money preparing their child for school. Like, 'don't use a labeller to label uniforms a fabric pen is cheaper and better, since it doesn't peel off'. Great advice I wish it had come a couple of days earlier before I made the $50 investment in a whiz bang labeller. I guess I'll be using the school hours to label everything - I will need to get my monies worth!
I realised I had not done my research, I fell into one of the first born traps "you don't know, what you don't know" hind sight is a wonderful thing! I will certainly be doing my research next year when my second child starts school.
Feel free to share your tips and tricks, what have you done or discovered to reduce the cost of schooling your child?
Sonia Williams a mother of two, qualified accountant and founder of the free online magazine Show Mummy the Money, designed to help mums, save, make and protect their money. She is the author of two books, Show Mummy the Money 2006, and Raising a Business 2007 available through all good book stores.
This information is correct at time of writing. It is general advice only and has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek personal financial advice prior to acting on this information.
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