Last month kids all over the Capital District headed back to school armed with bags of pencils, composition books, and three-ring binders. According to the National Retail Federation, the average family spent $688 this year in back-to-school costs. Area parents say school supplies are only the tip of the iceberg.
How much is your child’s school year really costing you?
“Every time I turn around, I am spending more money,” said Randi Hemming, a Ballston Spa mom of two.
When asked this question, many Capital District parents had the same two words in common: a lot. Though most didn’t know the exact amount they spent over the course of the school year, they all agreed it was too much.
Parents said the demands are numerous. Many are spending hundreds of dollars, and in some cases thousands, a year on school-related expenses. Parents point out costly field trips, school pictures, extracurricular activities, test fees and before- and after-care as just a small portion of the costs.
“Every time I turn around, I am spending more money,” said Randi Hemming, a Ballston Spa mom of two.
Christine Cubello, a Delmar mom of five kids all under the age of 14, said she can’t keep up with how much money she spends in one year.
“We spend so much that I have lost track,” she said. “Between soccer, fall ball, baseball and basketball alone we spend a ton.”
A large number of area parents rate sports as high on their list of expenses, while another contender for top place are fundraisers.
“I find it overwhelming the number of requests that come home from school all year requesting donations, fundraising and even the dollar days for Empty Stocking, etc. I know they are all worthy causes, but we have to pick and choose what we will support, and then I just feel badly we can’t support everything,” said Elizabeth Sikoryak, a Saratoga County mom of three.
Some area private schools have mandatory donations stated clearly in their contracts.
“You have a choice to take part in the school’s fundraisers and raise at least $300 or give a $300 donation,” said Tonya Clute of Burnt Hills. “This is in addition to tuition.”
According to Clute, some parents in her son’s class chose not to re-enroll their children this year due to the new requirement.
One mom said she discards the PTA fundraiser requests as soon as she gets them.
“I immediately throw them into the trash,” said Carrie Senecal of Saratoga. “I don’t like asking people for money.”
Several parents said wipes and dry erase markers are not only for back-to-school shopping lists. Many said the request for replenishment can be expected mid-year.
Kathryn Wank, a mom of two elementary-aged children in Rensselaerville, said she usually sees a note in her child’s backpack just after the December break asking for more supplies.
“It’s aggravating when you get a note home that the school is in need of more pencils, tissues, etc.,” said Wank.
“Why would one teacher need 40 dry erase markers in one year?” asked Cubello.
For high-school seniors, the expenses can skyrocket.
Kim Shoemaker, a Ballston Spa mom of three, said she never imagined how quickly the costs of her daughter’s senior exams would add up.
“At $87 each times eight, it came to $696. This was totally unexpected. Granted, she took five exams her junior year and three her senior year so the cost was broken up but still a hit in the pocketbook,” said Shoemaker.
Shoemaker said the exams are only a small part of the added expense of senior year.
“Not only that. There are also college applications, senior pictures, senior prom, graduation announcements and more. I would say our total was at least $1,800 that year,” she said.
School pictures were a sore spot with many other parents, too. In most area schools, pictures are not just a fall event any longer. Many have added springtime portraits in an effort to raise money for the PTA.
“I never get the springtime pictures. I only need one school picture a year. I get the ones taken in September, and that is it,” said Wank.
“I am not a fan of the two times per school year photos. It’s overkill for sure,” said another mom.
As for budgeting, some parents say they try to set a budget at the beginning of the year, however, they are almost always caught off guard by unexpected circumstances.
Shelly Heeney of Milton, said that for more than five years, her mom has taken care of her two kids before and after school, but last year, health problems changed that arrangement.
“We had to add before and after care to our bill,” said Heeney. “This was hundreds of dollars we did not expect that year.”
For some parents, it is just a lack of knowledge that can catch them off guard.
“I had no idea instruments were so expensive when I told my son he could play in band last year. Needless to say, we only did it for the trial period because with all the sports and activity expenses, it wasn’t in our budget. It’s too bad, too,” said Colleen Messina of her Ballston Spa fifth-grader.
Today, long-distance field trips have become
much more common, and some parents feel they have no choice but to foot the hefty bill because they don’t want to pass up the opportunity for their children.
“Each year the eighth-graders in my son’s school go on a field trip to Washington, D.C. The trip is a great experience. The school helps put together fundraisers for the kids to raise money for the trip. This helps a little, however, for some this expense can still be a lot,” said Dan Smith of Malta.
In her junior year, Shoemaker’s daughter had the chance to participate in an orchestra trip to Disney World. She said it was an exciting opportunity that her daughter didn’t want to miss out on.
“I want to say it was maybe $700 for the flight, hotel, and food, and then they had to have spending money,” said Shoemaker. “My daughter paid for most of the trip with her own money thankfully,” she added.
Other parents admit to feeling guilty when they say no.
“You don’t want to have your child be the only one on the team without all the newest shirts, hoodies, etc. I understand the need to support our school so we can keep all our sports teams, but it can be overwhelming when, in a short period of time, multiple teams are asking for your support,” says Theresa Leonard, a mom of two boys heavily involved in sports.
Andrew Schrage, of MoneyCrashers.com, said budgeting for school-year expenses is necessary, and there is still time to start.
Don’t be in the dark
“The first thing to do is try to get a rough estimate of overall annual costs for school fees and expenses,” said Schrage.
Schrage advises parents to get as much information as they can about upcoming school-year expenses. “Ask the school principal if there is a list available, and discuss it with your child’s teacher as well,” he said.
Other parents can also be a good source of information.
“The best way to afford these costs is to first get an idea of how much money you’re looking at over the course of the year,” he said.
Set priorities
“After you get an idea of how much these expenses will be for the entire year, the first thing to do is see if all of them can be afforded,” said Schrage.
He said that without a budget, it is easy for parents to spend more than they can afford.
“If there isn’t enough money in the budget for everything, discuss with your child and explain to them that choices will have to be made,” said Schrage.
Make charitable choices
Loads of parents find themselves making hard decisions when it comes to fundraisers and charities. Schrage recommends determining ahead of time how much money can be allotted to charity.
“Saying ‘no’ can be tough, but it’s just a matter of explaining that you’ve already reached your budget for charitable contributions for the year,” he said.
Create an emergency fund
Unforeseen expenses are not uncommon. Schrage suggests designating an emergency fund for such circumstances.
“If an expense does pop up unexpectedly, you can always dip into the fund,” he said.
If you use money from your emergency fund, Schrage said to remember to replenish it as quickly as possible.
Involve kids
“A parent should never miss an opportunity to teach their kids about money, and budgeting for school expenses is a great, real-world example with which to do so,” Schrage said.
He said children may have to make a difficult choice between specific extracurricular activities, but they will have a better understanding of money and finances.