Tadpoles costing me a fortune at school! Can I get through this in an O/S way?

frogga

Afternoon O/Stylies,

Tadpole 2 has just come home from school with yet another request which is going to cost me money. I guess it's "that time of year" but it's getting beyond a joke at the moment

In the last few weeks alone this is what I've had to fork out for

Tadpole 1 ~

Drama Festival :costume (all hand made) £20
tickets to see performance £15 (£5 each for 3 of us)

Summer Fayre : Raffle donation £2
Homemade cakes for stall £3
Raffle Tickets £5

Race for life donation £10

Activities week: Horseriding £230, extra clothes as she didn't have joggers or long sleve tops £20

CATS performance: Costume £20 (also made ears and tails for the others :rolleyes: )
Tickets to see performance £15

Sports day : "green" clothes to support house colours £20 (we didn't have anything green :rolleyes: ) including sparkly wig £2

School photo £14


Tadpole 2~

Theatre performance: Tickets £9 (£3 each)
Donation to school for 1/2 costume £3
other 1/2 costume £10 ( needed a certain colour of trousers that we didn't have)

End of year day out to theme park : £20 including entrance and coach

Sailing Day: £7

Summer fayre: Raffle prize £3
Cakes £3
Tickets £5
Costume for fancy dress £10

Sponsered walk for Cancer Care donation £10

School Photos Individual £14
Class Group £14


Now, I am aware that the easy answer is to say they can't do whatever the activity is. My Tadpoles are REALLY good kids and work REALLY hard at school. Their school reports were EXCELLENT and they very much appriciate what we do for them. I don't want them to miss out on all the lovely things that the school organises :rolleyes: You're only little once aren't you?

Looking at the list, do you think there was anything I could do to "cut back" without them missing out completely. I made all the costumes by hand and bought off cuts from the local remnant shop. I can't not go to the performances so I can't save on the cost of tickets. I felt it was important to support the sponsered events as they were for people less fortunate than ourselves.

I'd feel really mean if we didn't contribute to the fayres by baking cakes and buying raffle tickets et.c but perhaps that's when I should have said no. I guess I could say I wont buy the photos but I really WANT them :rolleyes: I want a school photo for heaven's sake, don't I?

The biggest expense is the school horseriding trip. I guess I could have said no. Tadpole 1 offererd to pay out of her savings. All of her friends are going. You could get help with the cost if you are on benifit , which we aren't.

I suppose ultimately I am prepared to pay for these things as it's what I choose to spend my money on. The Tadpoles ask for NOTHING and like I said they do deserve it. However, do you think there is anyway in which I could cut down on these expenses or is this just a part of the fun of having kids?

Hardup_Hester

Hi frogga
The olny thing I can think of is cutting down on the money spent on costumes, though that is easy for me to say as I can sew, I used to have a huge stash of fabric, mostley 2nd hand which was cheaper than buying new fabric, if the kids needed something in a specific colour I used to dye stuff.
Hester

frogga

Hi Hester,

I did make all the costumes myself but the material, elastic, ribbon , fur, et.c all adds up. I also thought about dying an old pair of white trousers for the green costume, but the dye was £5 and the trousers were £6 so it didn't seem worth the hassle

pigpen

Again the only way I can think is to buy fewer raffle tickets (or none) use even cheaper remnants.. ask on freecycle for fabric etc? Or borrow costumes or 'themed' clothes.. such as the green things.. seems a shame to buy something new when they probably don't need anything extra.

You can swap your 2 with my 8 if you like? lol.. I seems to fork out about £50 a week for various school activities.. I never needed money for anything when I was at school..

frogga

Hi pigpen,

No thanks, two is enough

The activity week is put on every year. There are 40 things to choose from and you get a 1st,2nd and 3rd choice. Tadpole's 1st and 2nd choices were cheaper but wouldn't you just believe she got 3rd choice :rolleyes: That was the one she really wanted but didn't want to be greedy The cheapest thing on the list was still £50 anyway and that was cycling for the week. How on earth they could justify that cost I'll never know

recovering_spendaholic

Have you had a look in local charity shops for fabric? I have got some wonderful lots of fabric and wool in charity shops for almost nothing! On the school photo front - could you ask for both tadpoles to be photographed together? Then you would only pay for one lot of photos - my primary school always does this when there are siblings.

On a lighter note - it gets no better as they get older! High school trips cost a fortune (last year cost me £800 for a 5 day trip to Russia for her history A level studies - I managed to get a history A level without going to Russia and that was when A levels were much harder;) ) plus as they get older they go out more and you get the constant "can you "lend" me a couple of quid" refrain and don't get me started on phone credit:rotfl:

sooz

Just had to look at this thread. I could not work out how school tadpoles could possibly be expensive. I mean, what do they need apart from water??

Then I realised you meant your children..........:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Have to say, I'm shocked that the school is charging you to see your own children in a school performance. Is that normal?

ethansmum

Do the kids really need a class photo? (Not legit, but couldn't you photocopy a mates?) Ours only costs £5 so i'm happy to pay that.

I'm disgusted that you have to pay for the drama festival and Cats. Yep, I know schools are trying to raise money, but a £5 is expensive!

kazwookie

sooz I was thinking the same!!

Cannot offer you any advise, but I hope they all enjoy their trips.

mummysaver

pigpen wrote: »

Again the only way I can think is to buy fewer raffle tickets (or none) use even cheaper remnants.. ask on freecycle for fabric etc? Or borrow costumes or 'themed' clothes.. such as the green things.. seems a shame to buy something new when they probably don't need anything extra.

You can swap your 2 with my 8 if you like? lol.. I seems to fork out about £50 a week for various school activities.. I never needed money for anything when I was at school..

EIGHT :eek: Thought my four were bad enough, especially since they all seem to have several friends in tow at any one time!

I do agree that school trips and general expenses seem a lot higher than when we were at school. My oldest dd is just back from three days/2 nights in London, cost of £250 plus spending money, plus packed lunch for first day and money for lunch and tea on journey home! I'm know that I could do everything they did for the 6 of us for the same amount of money! I'm still awaiting the cost breakdown I requested :rolleyes:

I have no idea how to reduce costs, although the letters do say that money is payable by voluntary donation, one day I swear i'm going to write back saying they'd like to go wherever, but this time i'm not volunteering to pay :rotfl:

School photo costs can be reduced if they're at the same school, usually you can request that they have their photo taken together.

Only way of cutting costs on costumes is asking around and borrowing stuff, same with things like trackies and long sleeved tops. Depends on where you live really, but round here everyone pitches in and rifles through their cupboards, usually we can find something!

As for cake donations, found that they are often sold for less than they cost to make, so just donate a few fairy cakes with smarties on top now, if I'm feeling generous I'll donate the rest of the money I would have normally spent!

misspenny

mine is only 2 and i'm paying £30 day 2 days a week for nursary as it is but the constant raffles cake stalls etc cost a fortune, and they then make you feel guilty if you dont donate because its to buy play equipment and other things for the children. i'd cut the chairty donations i know it sounds stingy