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The expense of a 'free' education
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___ We’re going broke sending our kids to public schools.
___This has little to do with quality of  education, but most everything to do with fund-raisers, special events and extra-curricular activities. In fairness, it’s not just school events, but the accumulated effect of school and sports teams.
___By my
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MARK WINGFIELD
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calculations, we’re down by about $500 or $600 so far this fall, just to keep two elementary-age kids up tospeed. And that’s not including school clothes.
___There’s the basic school supplies, the PTA memberships, the wrapping paper fund-raiser, the Cub Scout uniform and handbook, the soccer team registration and uniform, the Cub Scout popcorn fund-raiser, the Math-a-Thon, the fall carnival fund-raiser, the field trips, the winter basketball registration and several other expenses I’m trying to forget about.
___ Ouch!
___ Mix in a family trip to the State Fair (it’s a school holiday, you know), and the pinch is on.
___ Of course, if we were better creators and followers of a family budget, we no doubt would average all these "miscellaneous" expenses and prorate them over the year as planned expenditures. But I think I know why we refuse to do that: To add it all up and write the number down on paper would scare the daylights out of us.
He Said/She Said is a new regular feature of the Baptist Standard's on-line edition. Mark Wingfield is managing editor of the Standard. Alison Wingfield is a freelance writer. The Wingfields moved to Texas in January from Louisville, Ky., where Mark had been editor of the Western Recorder, in which this column appeared weekly. |
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__I think our miscellaneous column has evolved into a huge monster, eating into our entire budget, including the groceries. Maybe we’ve created a new Pokemon.
__This is the first year we have had so many new and unplanned-for expenses. I was expecting the regular start of school stuff, like school supplies, new backpacks, activity fees, a few clothes and such. I breathed a sigh
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ALISON WINGFIELD
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of relief when we got all that out of the way.
__But that was just a drop in the bucket. Every time I turn around, it is something else. Who knew two second graders’ expenses could skyrocket so fast? Most of it is for good activities or raising money for worthy causes (except for the occasional Pokemon cards). It’s hard to know where to draw the line.
__ Next year, we’re going to watch the fund-raiser trap. The boys (after prompting from the parents) usually call their relatives and sell a few items. But then they want us to make up the difference so they can sell enough to get to a certain prize level.
__No more Mrs. Nice Mom. They can sell more to somebody else if they want a prize.
__Now that our budget is in shambles, we have run smack into stewardship emphasis at church. Gulp. So much for the temptation to slack off on that tithe to make up for all these unexpected expenses.
__ Sermons on stewardship can be painful, but needed. We need reminding that it all comes from God and we’re just taking care of it--even if we’re not doing too hot a job of it right now.
__ God’s grace covers even our budget, defeating the miscellaneous monster, providing our needs and reminding us that we don’t have to have all the wants.
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