11 Aug
I Thought Public School was Free
Thirteen years from today we are going to need two college funds, but boy does that seem a million miles away.
Today is the first day of Kindergarten and I’m already shocked at how much it’s costing.
School clothes, mandated school supplies, daily snacks, and The Wife just told me this Friday’s welcome-back-to-school-campout is $20 + food and drinks…
Arg! I am being negative, but after years of paying handsomely for daycare and preschool I resent being nickel-and-dimed (more like twentied-and-fiftied) on what was to be our first tuition-free week.
Don’t they realize our debt snowball needs that money?! Okay, okay. I’m laughing at myself a little here.
By the middle of 2011 we should be debt-free with a fully-funded emergency fund and ready to start saving for college. I can hardly wait for that freedom. The freedom to save ahead while having no other debt but the house.
On a non-financial note, one child had to be peeled from The Wife’s leg after 10 minutes of crying while the other pushed her way in, one hand waving goodbye and didn’t even look back.
I’ll bet the next thirteen years go by way too fast after all.
the Dad
Posted by Granny on 08/11/09 at 10:16 am
On a non-financial note, I guarantee that you will be stunned to note how fast the next 13 years go by! Financially speaking, your children’s (public school) education is worth every penny! Enjoy!
Posted by Sharon on 08/11/09 at 1:37 pm
Having sent two kids to college, I can attest that the years fly by…
Recently I’ve noticed that it’s been the responsibility of the parents to cover more and more of the costs of public school. In high school, my daughter was responsible for buying all of her English books. Along with the books, came expensive calculators, etc.
Enjoy buying the .25 crayons…it only goes up from there!
Posted by Sandi on 08/11/09 at 5:28 pm
Hi Dad,
Just received our tuiton invoice for our last daughter (have 5) starting CU Boulder (in state) in August…1st semester is $10,236.86 for 15 units! The college is so generous…they “let” us pay in full, two payments (due 9/2 & 10/2) or student loans. Why do they require freshman to live on campus? That alone is $5,900 per semester and we only live 20 miles from school. Daughter has been told that she’ll be living at home if she wants us to continue to pay for her school.
Happy “Schooling”,
Posted by jpkittie on 08/13/09 at 2:42 am
First I want to say – thanks for swinging by my blog!!! I look forward to making your blog another one of my favorite stops!
I am right there with you – dd starts kindergaren the beginning of September & I am still wondering what that will hold as it starts out. I will say that I have been warned to start getting some funds together to have ready though… Looks like we may be on the same debt payoff schedule too — although my payoff looks to be done just one year later…
Snowball on dad!!!
Posted by Coffeenut on 09/03/09 at 10:37 am
ugh, school supplies. We ended having to spend close to $200 for 3 kids. What made me mad was the teachers expecting me to pay for their copier paper, expo markers, and post-its…stuff not for the kids but rather things that SHOULD be supplied by the school for the teachers from our SUBSTANTIAL taxes. Meanwhile, the superintendent gets a $500/mo gas allowance for a town you could circle 1000 times a week for that kind of money. Oh, and the cafeteria just got new stoves when the old ones still worked fine…which I know because my catering boss bought a $12,000 convection oven for $240 and it is practically new….grrrr.
Okay, sorry, got off the point. I actually have a little side job that provides money for the kids’ nickle and dime school stuff that comes up ALL THE TIME.