How To Save Money During And After School Enrollment

School is almost near (well, for some, it has already started!) and my little girl is now in preparatory school. I didn’t know that enrolling kids can be quite expensive. Aside from spending money for her tuition fee,  also need to buy several things that she needs at school. Although I am lucky because she does not need to buy a lot of things yet, I am still thinking about other mothers out there who need to budget the family allowance to pay for their children’s tuition and buy school supplies too. For this reason, I have recalled some practical tips that my mother taught us on how to save during and after school enrollment.

(1) Recycle old uniforms. There is really no need for you to buy new school uniforms each year if your old ones are still in good condition. To make them looking new, soaking them with bleach and detergent will make school uniforms looking whiter. However, this tip is not applicable for me as my daughter has colored printed shirts for her uniform so to make them looking better, washing them with detergent soap and soaking them in dye also helps make colored uniforms looking new.

(2)  Do an inventory. I recently made an inventory on my daughter’s school supplies and here’s what I found out:

Several duplicated pieces of crayons

Two blank art books

Four pieces of newly sharpened pencils

Two pieces of erasers

Three pieces of pencil sharpener

Two lunch boxes

One ream short bond papers

          Now that you think about it, I don’t have to buy her anything new for this school year after all well, except for new shoes because she easily grows out of her shoes easily.

(3) Using hand-me-downs is something not to be ashamed of. When I was young, I experienced wearing hand-me-down uniforms from my big sisters. It wasn’t that bad but if you want your kids to wear hand-me-downs, make sure that you mend them first before letting your kids wear them.

(4) Hit the bazaars. If you have a local back-to-school bazaar in your area, then you should consider buying your school supplies there in order to save money. Most bazaars offer discounted prices so you can get good savings out of them. Oh, by the way, if you are from Davao City, you might want to check the Bazaar at the Sangguniang Panglungsod because they sell school supplies and other items with 30% to 50% discount.

(5)  Instill the habit of saving money. Starting today, give your child a piggy bank where he or she can save loose coins for a year. You will be surprised how much money your child can save which you can use for next year’s enrollment.

When it comes to saving money during and after enrollment, all you need to do is to be practical. Don’t buy new stuffs all the time and, as much as possible, invest on durable school supplies that will last for a long time. After all, sending kids to school is not easy on the pocket and you can make use of the money that you have saved on more important things.