School time is here once again. The expenses of tuition, uniforms, books and school supplies would be eating up your finances big time. So, how do you manage to make the most of your budget? How would you be able to provide all the necessary stuff to help your child in his education without putting a hole in your bank account? Below are some suggestions and tips that can be of help to you:
- Only buy what is necessary. Make a list and stick to it. Schools usually give out a list of what the children need for the school year. You can compare that list with your own.
- Instead of going to some fancy language school you can opt for tamil tuition assignments for your kids that are really affordable and efficient in terms of Tamil language. This way your kids can learn a new language more effectively without making a hole in your bank accounts.
- Start early. Look through newspaper ads, magazines and even online. Stores that sell books and school supplies usually have ongoing sales and promotions a few months before school starts. Some stores have de-stocking promotions in which they would like to sell-off most of their stocks at very low prices. This does not mean that these are no good products. Sometimes, stores order some items in excess and when they cannot sell all off them at their usual regular prices, they put them on sale so that they sell faster and they can get newer stocks.
- Try buying in bulk. You can get together with your friends who have kids or the parents or your child’s schoolmates and pool together the same items that they need and buy them in bulk. Bulk order items usually sell for wholesale prices which are way cheaper than retail prices. Just check first with your wholesale or discount stores. Bulk even though it means many sometimes can be just as much as 20 pieces or maybe even ten.
- Be practical. Choose quality materials. Be a smart shopper. You don’t have to go for name-brand items just to be sure of the quality. You also do not have to ditch all the products that you have known and trusted in favor of cheaper products but have questionable quality materials and performance. Learn to balance. Producers and marketers nowadays are also getting smarter with their products. They are also learning to combine quality materials with nifty packaging, but giving them to their consumers at a more affordable price.
- School clothes need not be fancy. Sure your kids, especially if they are older, would want to wear clothes that are more in the ‘now’ or more like what their friends are wearing. Here is where you need to strike a balance. Buy a few key items that your kids may look on as something special that they can mix and match with their other more practical outfits. Go through their wardrobe with them and help them sort out their clothes. Teens usually think that if they do not have the latest in fashion wear they would not live it down in with their peers. Stress the importance of individuality, personality, and creativity.
- Do not get carried away. Though children and kids get excited when it comes to having new items, sometimes it’s the parents who tend to go overboard with it. We love to dress up our kids especially if we find them looking so cute or pretty or handsome in the things that we bought for them. Learn to control the shopaholic in you.
