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My daughter starts school this year. She’s excited. She’s nervous. She wants to make new friends, and she’s worried she’ll miss her kinder friends. She can’t wait, and she doesn’t want it to start.
She’s surprised and exhausted by all the feelings, and school hasn’t even started yet.
I’m nervous for the early days. But on the whole, I’m looking forward to it. I know that once she’s there and the routine kicks in, she’ll love it. In fact, she probably won’t want to come home!
But just like my daughter, I’m surprised – and my wallet is exhausted – by all of the school costs. And school hasn’t even started yet.
It’s not the school fees. They’re a given. It’s all of the other things that you think you’re aware of and prepared for, but which add up all too quickly.
We’re actually yet to pay an official school fee, but are already hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
Uniforms. Shoes. Bags. Readers.
And when school actually starts? Fees, of course. Then excursions. Incursions. Extra-curricular activities. After-school care. Maintenance levies. Grounds levies.
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And let’s not forget keeping up with the Joneses. Privileged statement? No doubt. But it’s easy to say you’ll dress your child in cheap shoes and second-hand uniforms to save money. It’s another to watch their shoulders drop when you present them with their no-brand sneakers when everyone else in the class is wearing the latest pair of Nikes.
(Are Nikes still cool? Were they ever? Is the word ‘cool’ still cool? Clearly, keeping up with the Joneses wasn’t something I ever excelled at.)
I’m in the early days of this. But here are some money-saving tips I’ve picked up so far:
- Check the uniform requirements.
- If you have to wear the official uniform with the school name, logo or crest, then so be it. But you may be able to buy the items second-hand. Especially if your daughter is on the small side and is buying a second-hand school dress that was worn for less than a month before it was outgrown.* (*May or may not be based on personal experience.)
- If you have options, explore them. My daughter’s school offers an ‘official’ polo shirt with the school crest on it, but also allows children to wear a plain polo in the same colour. I bought a pack of five plain polo shirts from Target for less than a single ‘official’ polo would have cost me, and I’ve been assured by other parents that at least half the families in the school go for the crest-free option. She won’t be the only plain polo-wearing child in the classroom.
- Check the quality.
- I’m very happy with the quality of the Target polos, so that was an easy decision. But when it came to school bags, I wasn’t happy with the quality of the cheaper ones. I bought the official school bag that was made of durable fabric and came with a 15-year warranty, and I’m confident that choice will save me money in the long term.
- Volunteer.
- If you are able to, volunteering your time may cut back on costs. Most schools offer a discount or refund on any grounds levies if you participate in working bees.
- Investigate your financial options.
- Putting money aside in advance is a great idea if you’re worried that costs will become difficult to manage. It’s worth looking into saving plans and investment opportunities to provide for the future. My husband and I started savings plans for our children when they were born, and while we hope to pass them on in their entirety when the children turn 21, it’s comforting to know that the money is there to support their education should we need it before then.
My daughter starts school this year. She’s becoming more excited. She’s becoming less nervous. She wants to make new friends, and she’s still a little worried she’ll miss her kinder friends.
But she can’t wait, and she wishes it could start tomorrow.
And if the bill for the school fees arrives tomorrow? I’ll be okay too.
Is your child overwhelmed by the idea of starting school? Have you been surprised by the cost of education? Do you have any tips to share?
I hear you about the school costs and I’m sending Esther to a public school. It hits hard straight after Christmas too. I’ve bought all of Esther’s books which came to $150 and paid half for her uniform ($80). I still have to buy black shoes and pay a levy that helps provide the rest of her school books. The good thing about having all daughters is the younger two will be able to wear Esther’s Uniforms, so I’m happy to buy the school uniform from the school, in hope it will last longer than cheaper versions. x
We’ve still got some uniform items to buy, book charges and the voluntary fee. We bought a unisex jumper rather than the ‘girl’ version so our little man can use the same one. That said, I think my daughter will still be in the same size jumper by the time he starts school! The smallest sizes are still waaaay too big for her!
I spent over $1000 the other day just on stationary and few books (well a quite a few) and online apps. I now have 3 high school kids and a primary and it is killing me. I need to get a new uniform in a week – argh. Money money money
Ah yes, I’m sure the monetary jump once we hit the high school years will be huge!
It’s good that some schools have a balance of logo’d and non logo’d clothes though. Honestly, when I was in high school I got in so much trouble for stupid things like having the non school backpack. But they didn’t know what to do with me because while I was being “bad” I was a good student. I’m not good with rules I see no point to (like uniforms) so it’s a good thing I don’t have kids haha. I don’t think I would be able to deal with it again. It’s too soon. And I finished school in 2002!
I remember that too. I got in trouble for not having one of the approved brands of school shoes. They were plain brown school shoes. But nope, wrong ones!
I happily buy second hand uniforms etc if in good knick- but some things need to be new and better quality like shoes and bags. I have not heard of ASG and will definitely have a look- thanks Em!
You’re welcome! I hope you find something to help. My daughter really loves the books from the Little Learner pack.
And absolutely – second-hand is great when the quality’s still there.
My youngest also starts school in a few weeks. It doesn’t take long for all the costs to add up, does it? I still have to do the school and bag buying x three – not looking forward to it at all!
Good luck with it all!
And imagine all of those supply costs times TEN when your kid loses something EVERY OTHER DAY. No. I am NOT exaggerating. My son started school last year and managed to lose everything multiple times: bags, drink bottles, hats, jumpers… You name it. He lost it. My best tip is the same as one of yours. The second hand uniform store was a life saver. They sell hand-me-down piece for $2 each. Yes. $2. I literally dropped to my knees and wept when I discovered this.
Oh dear! I don’t think I’ll have that problem. I’m far more scatterbrained than my daughter! But $2 is FABULOUS for second-hand stuff. I’m assuming the items are donated? A great way for the school to fundraise too!
Oh it gets horrific by high school. Even public. It costs thousands to kit-out a new high-schooler. Be prepared for that. Plus the expense of camps and books is around 4 times the cost of primary school.
I am preparing! I’ve been surprised by the primary school costs so I’ve definitely got to plan for high school!
Oh my gosh!! This is such an expensive time of year! On top of school fees, there are school and sport shoes, plus netball registrations, I also have Miss E heading off to NZ in April for a Netball tour and I need to pay the next instalment for that too! Thank heavens Miss M finished school last year, so now I have one less,
I just have one child in prep. When the extra-curricular activities start piling up, and the high school text books get added in, and excursions … gah, I’m getting stressed already!
Last year I got a few things each week to break up the cost of everything. This year though I put it all on layby so I have only needed to pay off a little each week. I had to get Dyllan all new shoes and shorts this year because he had a growth spurt at the end of the year. By the last week his shorts were looking a little like hot pants lol!
Both of those are great ideas. A few things at a time; all at once on lay-by, then money a bit at a time. Nice work!