AS THE days of summer draw to a close and students ready themselves for the beginning of the new school year next month, the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is encouraging parents doing back-to-school shopping for their children to make budgets in order to minimise their expenses.
"Budgeting is very important because it is actually sitting down and making a plan as to how much you have to spend and how much needs to be spent," says Racquel Chambers, research and communication officer at the CAC.
She says that ideally, parents should prepare a budget two or three months prior to the new term, but if they have not yet done so, there is still time to figure out how they will pay for their children's immediate back-to-school expenses as well as mid-year expenditure.
"They need to make a list of all the different expenses for their child," the CAC Officer says, "That would include school fees, school supplies such as textbooks and pencils, pens, notebooks and uniforms. They should also set aside how much they are going to spend on transportation, lunch, snacks and other incidentals such as school field trips."
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A good way for parents to gauge their projected expenses, she suggests, is for them to talk to other parents whose children have already passed through the school system, or at least the grade level that their children are about to enter.
She advises that at the outset of the new school term, parents should consider "putting aside money monthly in an interest-bearing account so that it can accumulate and you don't touch it. That way, when those unforeseen expenses come up, you would have already have taken them into account and can easily pay for them without any stress."
Turning to the issue of textbooks, which by and large make up a large slice of the budgeting pie, Mrs. Chambers says parents should entertain options other than buying new books.
In addition to the possibility of utilising the book rental system, which is available at many secondary schools, she says to curtail cost, parents could source second-hand books from family and friends or try to locate book stores that sell second-hand books.
Otherwise, she suggests, "They could seek out whether or not there are exchange programmes or book drives happening in their community, their church or the school, or the parents could get very creative and host their own book drive, so that it would facilitate helping other parents."
In the instance where parents have decided to purchase a new book from the bookstore, the CAC officer, says they should consult the CAC's textbook survey, or telephone several bookstores to compare the prices.
Another option, she says, is to actually walk from store to store to see the prices firsthand. She stresses that parents should be mindful of avoiding a situation where they purchase the wrong textbook, and thus, should bring a copy of the booklist with them when shopping.
Mrs. Chambers advises parents "to match the author's name, the volume, the book number, whether it is book one or book two, whether or not it is the revised or completely revised... they have to check for these things because each year or very soon after one edition, you have a new edition being published."
Tips for parents doing back-to-school shopping
For school supplies, take advantage of bargains and buy multiple quantities that the child may need further in the year.
If you purchase two pairs of shoes, pants or shirts, buy the second pair a size or two larger, as the child may grow by the time he/she is ready to use these items.
When buying notebooks, try getting ones with hard covers as they tend to last longer.
Before purchasing new uniforms, examine the ones the child already has. See if they can still be worn, then decide how many uniforms you really need to buy. (Some schools have ready-made uniforms available on sale to their students. This may prove less expensive than buying the fabric and accessories and having the garments made by a professional tailor or dressmaker).
When buying shoes, ensure they are of quality workmanship and fit properly.
When buying ready-made clothes or having them made, ensure that buttons are sewn on strongly, zips work easily and there is a seam allowance and that there are no loose threads to make the clothes appear untidy.
