School Fees and Clothes

I was floored when I went to register my children this year. $258 for fees, $125 pay to play, $70 yearbook which Lyndsey bought. Lunches are $3.50 – $3.75 this year. This is a house payment for me.Then you add shoes, clothes and supplies for your children. What are parents to do?

This year I bought school shoes and 2 shirts, a pair of jeans and a pair of shorts. I will add as I can, but the days of my mom are gone. You may ask what do I mean? My mom bought us all new right down to the socks and underwear and they only had one income. This is what the women of her day did.   When our oldest started school and I was surprised to learn it doesn’t have to be this way and was relieved!

I am trying some of my mom’s tricks: When the boys get home from school they will be changing clothes and wearing their older shoes. This way I figure I can get some extra life out of the school clothes and shoes.

I would love to hear how you are surviving the school days!

Have a great day, Candy

Back to school on a budget….Middle and High school

This is where I am in my life…..My three younger children are all in high school this year. We have many things to purchase and do this year. At Maumee HS we don’t know what to bring for school supplies until school starts, but all our school forms are on the Maumee school site and it does have all the schools supply list and medical forms at Maumee schools.

In High school the teacher will give the kids extra credit if the bring in Kleenex or a bottle hand sanitizer. In our home we look at extra credit like free money. anything extra helps!

Our oldest daughter needed a scientific calculator her freshmen year and my sister found us the cheapest in the area at Radio Shack for $128.00. When the second child needed one she used Kelsey’s. When Jake and Lyndsey needed it…. What to do? Our school rents out scientific calculators for $25 For our family this is the best deal because this year I will need 2 extra ones.

I have found with so many schedules I needed to get more organized. I have a 3 ring binder with a dividers for each family member. I put a copy of the kid’s school schedule, sports schedules and anything I Know I will need to find later in the notebook labeled HUNERTIME. This has Help me many times especially when it is trimester change and the kids need to know their new classes.

Some schools offer a school physical. Maumee school has a boy day and a girl day we pay $15 compared to the $125 I would pay at the family doctor. This has helped us. Contact your school and see if this if offered and maybe if not they may consider it. The physician donates his time and all monies collected do to the sports department.Way to go Dr. Gladiux!

School dances: It is funny, but both our girls wanted to buy their dress their first dance……then after that girls seem to trade dresses around. This is a huge savings to parents. I have also loved hearing when schools have dress exchange days. The girls bring in all the unwanted dresses and then they get so much credit toward another dress they may find. This is a frugal idea on getting a beautiful dress and it will be worn more than once.

This year our oldest Son gets his class ring. When I was in school you got it you sophomore year. He could have had it at the end of the year last year, but we opted to make payments. He will have his ring soon!

I have learned over the years I can’t keep up with the Jones or what I think the Jones have. I need to do the best for my family with what the Lord has blessed us with and that all I can do…. It isn’t worth it!

Have a great day and see you Monday at The Rossford Library, Candy

Back to school on a budget…. Elementary

I have been thinking about this one. 3 of our 4 children will all be High school and our oldest will be in her final year of college. This may not be a frugal tip, but it is  from the heart.

I remember when the kids were little and running around people would say “Enjoy  because it goes fast!” and I would think I have all the time in the world. Now, well I am one of those people……Enjoy,  because it goes fast!

Elementary school is a neat time as I look back. The pictures and crafts they made. I realized that I couldn’t keep every single thing that they have made. I can only hang on to a few select things. Our children have made many pottery things and I  just could part with any. A wise mom told me each year for family dinners she proudly displays her grown child’s work and after the dinner they can take the art work home. I thought that was a cute idea.

Have a great day and Don’t forget Monday August 9th at the Rossford Library……

Frugal, Cool Back to School !

Money Saving Tips & Tricks!
Monday, August, 9th 6:30 p.m.  at the Rossford Library
Presented by Candy Huner, author of the blog “Deal With it Simply” and Paula Wethington of the Monroe Evening News’ “Monroe on a Budget”
Of course, it’s FREE and open to the public!

Back to school on a budget…..Sports and clubs

Sports and clubs just hearing the title can make a parent sweat. Where we live our school has pay  to play. $100 for the first child, $75 for second and $50 for third. If your child is involved you pay it. It does not matter how many sports or activities. The school does offer help if you are having financial difficulties.

Our children have many activities: Varsity Cheerleader, link crew, Select choir, orchestra, debate team, baseball and Broomball. Each is exciting and fun, but does drain a parents bank account.

Our youngest daughter Lyndsey works at a local fruit market and pays for all her own activities and I just help every so often which is a blessing. I am very proud of her and I hope I am teaching her how to handle her money.

We also have a sports pass our school’s pass cost $200 for a family with this pass you can attend all home sporting events. It sounds like a lot of money, but in the long run it saves us. For Randy, the boys  and I to go to the games it is $22 each time. We go to all Lyndsey home games and don’t go to the away, unless it is a rival Perrysburg!

Benjamin our youngest Plays baseball and we bought his cleats, bat and pants at Play it again sports. It was in our budget and Ben was happy and that makes me smile! 🙂

Both of our boys are in orchestra and we went with renting  instruments. Now we own Jacob’s cello and I am hoping to own a viola for Ben soon. When you rent from Rettig in our area so much of each payment goes toward a purchase of a new instrument.

Lyndsey made select choir this year and it is her Senior year. We bought the required dress from a graduating senior. We paid $50 and new is right around $200.

With Cheerleading the first year was the hardest….buying all the things that go with it. The years since haven’t been as bad because we have everything.

Suit needed for speech and debate: We bought dress pants on sale at JC Penney and My folks bought him a new dress jacket. This was a total blessing and Jake looked great!

I don’t want to discourage my children from activities, so I need to find as many ways to save as I can. If you have any tips do share. Have a great day, Candy

Back to school on a budget…..lunches

 

 Packing school lunches can be overwhelming and the best time for us to get lunches packed is after dinner.

I remember when our youngest was young a friend said to him ” are you ever going to buy your lunch?” and Ben said “No I’m a packer!” and we always packed. When we closed our business my mom said why don’t you get free lunches? I just never tried even though we fell into the guidelines. We received  reduced last year  and it was a blessing that help get us back on our feet and this year I will be packing again.

Here are a few ideas to make it easy, fun and inexpensive.

• On Sunday night get out you loaf of bread and lunch meat. Make up all the sandwiches plain put the back into the bag in the freezer. Each night take out a sandwich make it up and pack in the  baggie. The sandwich will thaw.
• popcorn popped cheap and the kids love it. I am surprised when their friends want a bag too.
• Celery with peanut butter-  my boys don’t like celery but they do with peanut butter, I cut it all the same lengths and put peanut butter sides together to put in baggie. 
• Our younger daughter loves tuna with a little mayo, chopped apple and cut up grapes.
• many buy lunchables if they are on sale we have but, why not make your own. crackers, cheese and ham that the kids can stack.
• sandwich roll ups soft taco shell, shredded lettuce, cheese and ham. I also like to add a little salad dressing like thousand island or ranch. I roll them up cut in half and put a toothpick in each.

I would love to hear what you are packing! Candy

Back to school on a budget….clothing

When I was a kid my mom would take all three of us school clothes shopping. Everything new right down to your socks and underwear. When my kids started school I did the same thing until I realized not many parents were doing this…….it is too expensive. We start out with a few new things and then add to it as the weeks progress.

When things were very tight we have found great coats at Savers and Goodwill. You just have to look and you may be surprised.

Some of the schools in our area wear uniforms. Wtol channel 11 has a back to school clip to save on uniforms and the new Toledo schools dress code policy. Check it out! The school Randy and I clean has an end of the year sale parents trade in old uniforms for different ones. I think that is great idea!

tomorrow is lunches and snacks

Have a great day! Candy

Back to school on a budget… school supplies

My dear friend Paula at Monroe on a budget has posted many of the sales for back to school and her tip for the day. I thought I would talk about school supplies in a different way.Our school supply stock up starts long before the start of school….it starts at the last day of school. When the kids bring their supplies home I go through what I think we can use again.

• ruler, protector, calculators. You get the idea and we then take the inventory again before school starts.

I don’t buy everything at the same store either I store jump. I keep the supply list in my purse and when I see a good deal I cross it off and buy. Now with the kids all in high school I sometimes don’t know exactly what they need, but there certain things I will buy.

When I find a good deal on supplies I buy what I think we will need for that school season. We always need notebook paper, notebooks,  folders, pencils and index cards. When I find these supplies for a penny my heart sings. I keep a box mark school supplies and the kids can usual find what they need.

We live in the Maumee school and the kids are required to buy 2 locks from the school in 6th grade. Our children also turn these in at the end of the year and I give them back when school starts. they attach a piece of paper with the combination so they don’t forget over the summer. We learned this the hard way. I have had to call the school to get the combination.

I have to admit it is so hard for me not to buy crayons when they a 25¢ so I always buy a few even though the kids don’t need them and then we donate they for school drives.

Don’t forget Paula and I will be at the Rossford Library on August 9, 2010. I would also love to hear any tips you may have.

Tomorrow is Back to school on a budget…..clothes