Your days are filled with the song of cicadas, crooning in soprano with the rising temperatures. Hours later, you’re treated to the nighttime concert of crickets. Though they are the sounds of summer, they herald another season entirely. Once you hear these insects fall, it is only around the corner—which means your kids are due back at their desks in no time.
Whether you look forward to the first day back at school with relief or you’re sad to see them go, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Between getting everyone up in time for the bell and preparing school lunches, the beginning of school marks a hectic time in your life. After two months of summer holidays, both you and your children are out of practice.
That doesn’t even touch on the fact that you’ll have to do a lot of work to prepare for the first day of school. Each year, you’re expected to supply more and more materials your kids need to excel in the classroom. There’s a lot to buy, from pencils and erasers to graphing calculators and protractor sets. Add new shoes and clothes to these supplies, and you could spend more than you budgeted! In some cases, Canadian families spend as much as $400 for each child in back-to-school spending.
There’s an app for that.
If this price tag isn’t in your budget, you can use your Android or iPhone to help lower those back-to-school costs. An app like Checkout 51 will offer up coupons and cashback savings on special retailers or products. These apps are great when buying juice boxes and sandwich fixings for daily lunches or renewing your kids’ wardrobes for the season.
To get the most out of your smartphone, use it with a QR and barcode scanning app like RedLaser to confirm you have the best deal in the city. Scan the code of the markers or cahiers in your hand, and the app will price match the item. It will alert you if the product is cheaper anywhere else in a few seconds.
If, at first, you don’t succeed…
Even with the help of your favorite apps, back-to-school shopping can do a number on your budget, leaving you unprepared for anything unexpected in your family’s future. Should you need to repair your water heater or brake line suspension after school starts, your classroom purchases could make it impossible to cover these new bills.
Asking for money from friends and family is embarrassing. Going to the bank can be stressful, especially if you have a finite timeline before you’re expected to make repairs. Luckily, these aren’t your only options. You can find payday loans in most of the country’s provinces and territories. Whether you secure your payday loans in BC or Ontario, they help you cover any damage back-to-school shopping does to your budget. In Canada, payday loans are a fast, simple, and convenient way to pay for short-term, non-recurring responsibilities. Sometimes, they’re issued on the same day you apply.
It may seem like there are a lot of summers left, but before you know it, the fall will be here. With it, your kids will be in the classroom. Cut the cost of getting those schoolroom supplies you’re expected to provide by using your phone, and remember, there’s a payday loan that can help.
