Remember September

You’re a pro at back-to-school prep, right? You know just where to go to get the best deals, so that you can do more with less- staying right on budget.

Nothing can derail your careful budgetary planning like unexpected expenses though.

And remember, September is a month where your chequebook gets a workout- for expenses beyond those more immediate for back to school. Be proactive in your budgeting now by anticipating these expenses and setting up a budget around them.

Remember September!

Lunches

If your school doesn’t have a cafeteria, chances are that they participate (at least to a certain degree) in a lunch and or milk program. If your youngster is participating, then plan to be writing out cheques to cover that.

Usually you do have an option to post date cheques for that, making this a little more budget-friendly.

Activity fees

This is different for every school, but many schools charge an activity fee (or they may call it something else).

In most schools, this covers the cost of any extras or extracurriculars. Some school trips or in-house activities are covered under this too.

Not a huge cost, usually, but if you’ve got more than one child, this can really add up.

The sporting life

Many sports and after school activities get underway in September, which means you’ll be whipping out that chequebook at registration (not to mention getting the carpooling going).

If you are registering your child for an activity that will go for the whole year, inquire about payment plans. Even if it’s not advertised, you may have an option to split your fees monthly or even quarterly.

Again, if you’ve got more than one kid, these can really add up. Always ask if there are multi-sibling discounts. There often are- and if you don’t ask, you don’t get!