With fall just around the corner, you can
expect to see the leaves turning colours, pumpkin spice flavours back on the
menu, and a long list of expenses in your near future. These expenses may be a
lot to handle after your family’s summer vacation, but they don’t have to throw
your finances off track. Check in with this simple guide to the season’s two
biggest expenses to find out how you can save money.
1. Back-to-School Supplies
The end of summer means just one thing when
you have kids. It’s back to school time.
Your kids are probably thinking about the
first day of school with some anxiety, knowing they’ll be back in their seats
and working out math problems in no time.
Fractions, integers, and trigonometry await
them, but they aren’t the only ones to expect to do a little math in the near
future. Although your school days are in the past, you’ll need a calculator to
balance your back-to-school shopping budget.
Expect to balance large numbers. Deloitte
reports the forecasted spending for the year, and the
numbers aren’t good.
How to save money on supplies
Thanks to budget cuts across the country,
you’ll be expected to supply your child with more materials and equipment than
ever before. But is there a way to tick off all you need from your list and not
totally blow your budget?
Yes! Here are some tips to help you save
money:
●
Download shopping apps: With the right app, you
can find the cheapest prices, knock off a few dollars with a coupon, and then
earn money back on your purchase with a rebate.
●
Buy used when possible: If you’re shopping for graphing calculators,
tablets, or computers, search out certified refurbished options before you buy
new. They tend to be a lot cheaper, but they work just as well
●
Use a list: Don’t walk into a store without knowing what you want.
Otherwise, you could end up buying things that your kids don’t need. If you put
these impulse items on a personal line of credit, this could do damage to your
credit score. But this isn’t the only way parents unintentionally hurt their
score. To make sure you aren’t committing any mistakes with your personal line
of credit, check this out for
more information. It shares helpful tips on how to use your personal line of
credit wisely, and how to manage your credit history as a parent.
2. Household Maintenance
As the season preceding winter’s deep
freeze, the fall is a busy time for homeowners preparing their property for Old
Man Winter’s arrival. There’s a lot to be done in and around the house — like
cleaning out gutters and shutting down your air conditioner to caulking windows
and scheduling a furnace tune-up.
Some of these are free, but some may be an
investment of your hard-earned money.
How to afford essential repairs
After back-to-school shopping and filling
your closets, taking on repairs may be stretching your budget too far. But that
doesn’t mean you have to put off repairs or other essential tasks.
●
DIY: Most of your fall tasks are simple chores that you can do on your own
with minimal tools or experience. Doing these jobs on your own can save you a
lot of money.
●
Financing: If you have to get a professional involved, talk to them
about setting up a financing plan. They may let you pay your invoice over
several weeks. And if they don’t, this may be the time to use your personal
line of credit. A personal line of credit acts as a better safety net than an
excuse to go shopping.
A seasonal changeover is never cheap, but
it shouldn’t threaten your family’s finances. Use these tips to help you face
the fall’s biggest expenses, and you’ll cover back-to-school and winterization
bills with greater confidence
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