The kids are going back to school! With the excitement and worry of back-to-school shopping almost done… there are other costs that begin again in September. There is the milk program and pizza lunches. There are class trips and sports equipment. What have I missed? I’m sure I have missed some.

This may be a good time to sit down and plan ahead for which things you are able to pay for and which ones you are not able to. Consider finding out the costs of all the different options and adding them together for the semester. It may help to sit with your kids and talk about what the most important things are to them. Use the information you have about the costs. They may really want milk but not care about pizza day. They may be okay not getting milk or pizza as long as they get to play their favourite sport. Knowing their options gives them the chance to pick what is most important to them. This is a chance for them to learn about priorities and the limits of money.

Many schools have programs to help with the costs of certain things. If you are struggling financially, speak with the office staff or your child’s teacher to learn what options there are at your child’s school.

Oh yeah… replacing clothing and shoes and lunch boxes and all the other things that go missing. I am going to sit down and put my child’s name on everything so, hopefully, we can decrease the number of things that have to be replaced. Make sure to put the name where a stranger can’t see it.