FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 10, 2017 • BACK TO SCHOOL • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
The ABCs of back-to-school budgeting
It’s natural to pack all you can into
those few precious summer months, but
inevitably they’re gone before you know
it. As summer vacations, sleepovers and
outdoor grilling come to a close, it’s time
to start thinking about going back to
school.
You may be working to pay off summer
vacation bills when you realize you
need to budget and pay for your child’s
school supplies, clothing and other related
school expenses.
In a recent survey conducted by
Coinstar, about half of U.S. parents with
kids between ages fi ve and 18 believe
school expenses are increasing. Of those
surveyed, 57 percent will create a back-toschool
budget.
To ease rising school costs, here are fi ve
budgeting tips that will help you get more
for your back-to-school dollar:
Create a budget. One of the best ways
to spend wisely is to create a budget. If
you don’t already have one, open a new
spreadsheet on your computer or get out
a pen and paper. Consider all the potential
back-to-school expenses and not just
the obvious ones, such as school supplies
and clothing. For example, you’ll
want to factor in extracurricular or aft erschool
activities, tutoring, special school
trips and even lunch costs.Collaborate
with other parents. Consider joining parent
groups, either through your school
or community. Th ese groups can off er a
great support network to share ideas and
information. Th ey also serve as a fantastic
resource for meeting parents who have
items such as sports equipment their kids
have outgrown or even musical instruments
their children no longer play. Th is
can lead to some serious money-saving
deals.Tap your coin jar. With rising
school costs, the old saying that every
penny counts really is true. You can literally
put this into practice by collecting
all the loose change around your house or
tucked away in your coin jar and bringing
it to a Coinstar kiosk. At the kiosk,
you can turn your coins into cash by paying
a small fee or put your change toward
a no-fee eGift card to use at retailers
such as Amazon.com or Old Navy.Make
a shopping list. Most schools provide a
back-to-school list to help you plan and
shop for your child. Use this as a starting
point to make your own list and then
stick to it! Retailers are set up to encourage
impulse buys, but checking to see if
something is or is not on your list is one
of the most eff ective ways to avoid purchasing
non-essential items and blowing
your budget.Embrace the three Rs. Your
kids will probably learn about the three Rs
in school: reduce, reuse, recycle. Th is is a
great principle to keep in mind when getting
them ready for school, especially for
back-to-school clothes. Choosing quality
basics such as a jacket, skirt, sweater
or jeans that can be combined with
other clothing in your child’s closet will
reduce the need for quantity purchases. In
addition, consignment stores and online
retailers are very popular and off er gently
used items that check the “reuse” box.
And fi nally, don’t forget to take advantage
of hand-me-downs, whether from older
siblings or friends.Going back to school
should be an exciting time for you and
your kids. With these fi ve budgeting tips,
you can help cut the fi nancial stress out of
the process and kick the school year off to
a great start.
Courtesy BPT
back to school