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Back-to-school costs pushing some families into debt

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    #32
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Andy From Sligo wrote: »
    yeah but there are those in life that can afford it and those that cannot and a lot of the time its no good people whinging that couples shouldnt have had kids in the first place if they cannot afford to bring them up.

    I never said anything about not having kids. I said it's a cost of living, like many things.

    I think you just like arguing for the sake of it.

    I'm out.


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    #33
    B.A._Baracus
    Registered Users Posts: 11,192 ✭✭✭✭B.A._Baracus


    Probably in the minority in this but I think primary and secondary education should be free.


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    #34
    Thoie
    Registered Users Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    B.A._Baracus wrote: »
    Probably in the minority in this but I think primary and secondary education should be free.

    Which bits? The teachers and buildings? Clothes? Books? Food?


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    #35
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    B.A._Baracus wrote: »
    Probably in the minority in this but I think primary and secondary education should be free.

    No, I'd agree wholeheartedly and so would most people - it's the tax raises that'd be required that would put most off.


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    #36
    Smondie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭Smondie


    Sure whay else would parents be spending thier money on? Drink i suppose? You have to forgo a few pints to educate your special snowflake, thems the breaks


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    #37
    Judge Trudy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭Judge Trudy


    You would think that the people moaning on here about other people having kids, didn't have their own parents who gave out about how expensive it was to raise them when they were little uns or didn't refer to them as snowflakes. Oh how it would be great to be perfect like that. It must have been a long time since some were that young to remember.


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    #38
    Story Bud?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭Story Bud?


    Thoie wrote: »
    Comparatively easy things schools could do:
    • Use generic, easily available, uniforms. If they really want a crest, sell it separately and people can sew it unto jumpers. The same crest could last years.
    • Stop the nonsense of special tracksuits.
    • Stop using workbooks that have to be written in - let the kids write in copybooks. Consider it a learning opportunity and teach them how to cross reference their work properly.
    • Stop changing text books (or editions) so frequently. The curriculum doesn't change that often, there's no need for the books to change so often either.


    Completely agree with this list. I don't think there's any need to have expensive uniforms when generic is perfectly fine.

    I know one of last year's maths books had "world record 100metre time" - I mean that's just stupid, if the world record changes the book is automatically out of date.

    Still though, I do think the costs are exaggerated, it doesn't cost €145 every single September to clothe your child for example. A new schoolbag is absolutely not required every year, just buy a decent one to begin with and it will last years. Teach your child to look after things and they won't need a new geometry set and calculator every year.


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    #39
    Thoie
    Registered Users Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    Judge Trudy wrote: »
    You would think that the people moaning on here about other people having kids, didn't have their own parents who gave out about how expensive it was to raise them when they were little uns or didn't refer to them as snowflakes. Oh how it would be great to be perfect like that. It must have been a long time since some were that young to remember.

    Who's moaning about other people having kids?


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    #40
    Judge Trudy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭Judge Trudy


    Thoie wrote: »
    Who's moaning about other people having kids?

    Just about the majority of people on this thread.


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    #41
    Thoie
    Registered Users Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    Story Bud? wrote: »
    I know one of last year's maths books had "world record 100metre time" - I mean that's just stupid, if the world record changes the book is automatically out of date.

    That kind of thing doesn't need a new edition. If the subject was, I dunno, "sports history" or something, then that would be silly. But in a maths book I'm guessing it was being used as an example for something (Bob runs at a speed of 3 meters per year. What percentage improvement would he need to make to match the world record* 100 meter time? *Correct as of February 2015). Assuming the kids don't need to learn the fastest time off by heart for future examination, then it's pretty irrelevant.


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    #42
    Story Bud?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭Story Bud?


    Thoie wrote: »
    That kind of thing doesn't need a new edition. If the subject was, I dunno, "sports history" or something, then that would be silly. But in a maths book I'm guessing it was being used as an example for something (Bob runs at a speed of 3 meters per year. What percentage improvement would he need to make to match the world record* 100 meter time? *Correct as of February 2015). Assuming the kids don't need to learn the fastest time off by heart for future examination, then it's pretty irrelevant.

    Agreed, but that's exactly the kind of thing they do change editions for unfortunately.


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    #43
    Story Bud?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭Story Bud?


    Judge Trudy wrote: »
    Just about the majority of people on this thread.

    nnnnope


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    #44
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    Thoie wrote: »

    Use generic, easily available, uniforms. If they really want a crest, sell it separately and people can sew it unto jumpers.

    Depends on the school maybe.

    When my eldest kid started primary, I was slightly shocked at the jumper cost (35 quid) but it's really thick and lasted him two years and his brother a year after that.

    It's probably cheaper in the long run then getting thinner, generic jumpers. They have those as spares and they don't last at all.


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    #45
    Macy0161
    Registered Users Posts: 9,442 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    Widdershins wrote: »
    You'd still need educational supplies , books , etc. I don't know that you would save .


    Seems like a lot of money to me . I thought schools were using IPAD or laptops now ?

    There is a grant for the purchase of schoolbooks.
    The ebooks is a scam too. Usually ipad specific, so they screw you on the device side too. And you don't get to "keep" the book - they have specific apps that are time limited.

    The whole books/ work books thing is what frustrates me as a parent, even with two in consecutive years, very little that can be handed on. Pretty much just a couple of readers.

    No voluntary contribution in our school - they don't even bother to pretend - there's specific arts and crafts "charges", and photocopying "charges". Only leeway they give parents who may struggle to pay, is pay by installment.


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    #46
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    lawlolawl wrote: »
    If only there was some kind of childrens allowance paid to parents by the state.

    Or even a Back To School Allowance. Tis terrible what poor parents have to buy for their children. Imagine having to feed the little darlings too!!!

    As a parent, I learned to budget throughout each year in order to kit my children out for the start of the school year. I'm sure most other parents did the same.


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    #47
    Lollipops23
    Registered Users Posts: 5,420 ✭✭✭Lollipops23


    I agree wholeheartedly with the points about the school uniforms needing to be generic. My own uniforms where all speciality- and contracted out to local shops in both primary and secondary schools. They cost a fortune.

    You'll often find with the constantly updating text books that one of the teachers wrote it and insist upon having it on the curriculum every year. Mo money in the aul back pocket for them...


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    #48
    TeaBagMania
    Registered Users Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭TeaBagMania


    One of the things I really liked about Ireland was the lack of property taxes. Just wait until your household charges get into full swing. Half of my property taxes ($900 dollars worth) go to the county school district and I don t even have kids, WTF


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    #49
    diomed
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,744 ✭✭✭diomed


    In the good old days all you needed was a schoolbag, a copybook and a pencil.
    We were dumb, but we were happy.


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    #50
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    diomed wrote: »
    In the good old days all you needed was a schoolbag, a copybook and a pencil.
    We were dumb, but we were happy.

    I remember using a slate and chalk!


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    #51
    diomed
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,744 ✭✭✭diomed


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I remember using a slate and chalk!
    Well la-di-da. :)


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    #52
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I remember using a slate and chalk!

    We also had bring fuel for the classroom fire. Imagine that today. I'd rather give a few euro towards heating costs than having the kids hawking lumps of fuel to school.


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    #53
    ohnonotgmail
    Registered Users Posts: 40,437 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Gregory Quaint Passenger wrote: »
    We also had bring fuel for the classroom fire. Imagine that today. I'd rather give a few euro towards heating costs than having the kids hawking lumps of fuel to school.


    I had you down for a hedge school :D


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    #54
    Thoie
    Registered Users Posts: 6,344 ✭✭✭Thoie


    andekwarhola wrote: »
    Depends on the school maybe.

    When my eldest kid started primary, I was slightly shocked at the jumper cost (35 quid) but it's really thick and lasted him two years and his brother a year after that.

    It's probably cheaper in the long run then getting thinner, generic jumpers. They have those as spares and they don't last at all.

    You could still buy a "good" generic jumper for the same kind of money if you can afford it, but people would also have the option to spend €6 if they wanted to. It's always been the case that rich people will buy one pair of shoes that last for €300 while poor people buy 20 pairs of shoes for €40 in the same time.


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    #55
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Gregory Quaint Passenger wrote: »
    We also had bring fuel for the classroom fire. Imagine that today. I'd rather give a few euro towards heating costs than having the kids hawking lumps of fuel to school.

    That takes me back too! Turf was frowned upon, as it caused the room to fill with smoke if it didn't draw too good! Coal was preferred.


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    #56
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    ohnonotgmail wrote: »
    I had you down for a hedge school :D

    Not quite, no.

    But not far off.


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    #57
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    The books updates are one joke, uniforms are another. I remember in secondary school I moved into adult sizes and somehow the slacks were cheaper. :rolleyes: Never mind the 60 quid blazer and 40 quid jumper.


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    #58
    Smondie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭Smondie


    Deleted User wrote: »
    The books updates are one joke, uniforms are another. I remember in secondary school I moved into adult sizes and somehow the slacks were cheaper. :rolleyes: Never mind the 60 quid blazer and 40 quid jumper.
    21 Cent a day for a jumper sounds like good value. Get 2 years out of it and it's only 10cent/day worn.


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    #59
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Smondie wrote: »
    21 Cent a day for a jumper sounds like good value. Get 2 years out of it and it's only 10cent/day worn.

    And I'm sure the child has to have clothes bought whether at school or not. I know one pair of parents who bemoan the lack of a school uniform in their school because of the competition for 'style' amongst the kids. They say a uniform, and regulation school footwear, would be cheaper


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    #60
    Widdershins
    Registered Users Posts: 10,633 ✭✭✭✭Widdershins


    TeaBagMania wrote: »
    One of the things I really liked about Ireland was the lack of property taxes. Just wait until your household charges get into full swing. Half of my property taxes ($900 dollars worth) go to the county school district and I don t even have kids, WTF

    Ireland now has property tax.


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    #61
    the groutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    Another vested interest overestimating the cost of sending kids to school.
    What a surprise! :rolleyes:


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