Back-to-school can be a stressful time for most families, with trying to coordinate schedules, change sleeping patterns, sign class disclosures, and start children on their homework. On top of those stressors, the financial strain of back-to-school expenses can weigh down on a family. In 2014, the average family spent $670 on back-to-school supplies. As school is starting, make sure to plan for the following back-to-school expenses you may have forgotten to put in your budget.
School Supplies and Clothes
The most obvious back-to-school expense is purchasing new school supplies and clothes. Most students require notebooks, pencils, erasers, markers, new backpacks, etc. Children no longer fit their clothes from the year before, so it is necessary to take them shopping. You can cut expenses by shopping late, as there are many sales after the back to school rush. Remember to check the dollar store for school supplies as they are often cheaper there.
Sports/Club Registrations
The new year also brings the start of many sports – soccer, football, cross-country, etc. Registration for teams can be expensive whether they are through the school or at a local recreation center. With team registration comes uniform fees, cost of new equipment as well as practice clothing and shoes. Typical team registrations are around $50-$100.
Lunch Supplies
During the summer, you can utilize leftovers or cook one meal for the entire family’s lunch. As children go back to school, this is not always an option. You have to decide whether to send children with a sack lunch or pay for school lunch. If you chose the home lunch route, you have to plan healthy, yet filling lunches with plenty of snacks that kids can take to school that don’t require refrigeration.
School Pictures
Every year, the schools brings in companies to take beginning-of-the-year school pictures. Those can cost anywhere from $20-$50 or even more depending on the company. Optionally, you can take your children to a studio to get their pictures taken, and that can cost a few hundred dollars. School pictures are a wonderful way to watch a child grow up as you collect the pictures from year to year. School pictures are sometimes the only professional pictures a family will take a year.
Immunizations
Each state requires different immunizations in order to begin school, although most states require the following vaccines: Hep A, MMR, Varicella, DTap and IPV. Vaccines normally cost between $15-$50 a person, and are required in order to enter school.