Navigating Christmas while keeping an eye on school fees

Bits of ME

For a person who always hated maths, any type of figure sends shivers down my spine. I always chose any alternative that gets rid of math.

This time, however, I have to employ math especially elimination: crossing out figures(expenditures) completely or replacing them.

The school reopening has made it dodgier.

As my mind races to how to get the first term tuition, Christmas whispers to New Year’s: “What is she thinking relegating us (special days) for school that is throughout the year.”

With that, I pull out my pad to experiment my thoughts on how to satisfy ALL.

The school requirements list versus the Christmas requirements list.

In one of my friend’s households, the couple doesn’t even put the two in one sentence because the former is what matters and Christmas is a passing fancy.

Her husband canceled their kids trip to the amusement park on Christmas and while at it, he noticed the school list had a new introduction ‘development fund’.

Other schools, I was told, have tactfully wrapped it like secret Santa’s gift and christened it ‘rehabilitation fund’, ‘sports fee’, ‘fellowship fee’ etc.

A look at those lists and your head begins to spin.

All my eyes see are ‘figures’ enchanting like old Christmas songs and seasonal movies across every radio station or television channel I adjust to.

Everywhere I turn, this way-that way, figures are what I see and I can’t run.

What I have resolved is to eliminate what we can do without and you can do the same to make ends meet.

Cut down groceries if it will scale down expenditure unless you are entertaining extra relatives this year, then reverse it.

If the kids can retain for instance old suit cases for school, ignore their usual complaints of "our friends will have new ones."

Why change the furniture for the festive season yet that cash can save you figures to clear semester tuition?

School demands like books, mattresses; bed sheets, etc my come off as small cash on paper but it’s piled up figures in total.

Teaching yourself to suspend extravagant purchases is to allow yourself to buy that which is basic for consumption and a priority.

So Is the school requirement list ‘cancelling' out the ‘blissful’ Christmas list that should have been?

Bits of YOU

Whether you excelled at maths or hate it like me, these figures need to be accurately deposited in your kids’ school bank account on or before January 10, 2022.

To you who sired more than one child, how are you handling the current demands?

You might wish to place a lockdown on Christmas and New year as you hope employee bonuses can come to your rescue.

If you share the same swarm of choices, come to my corner and we record an uprising song against these schools and if the song flops, we can get an alternative.

Tuition- 1.300,000, Uniforms -379,000

Books- 120,000, Rehabilitation Fund- 150,000, Swimming fee- 80,000

Just before your mind questions the fund, you’ve already concluded that your child is a risk to the pool so that’s off the list, right?

Twenty or more items that cost probably as much as the tuition and on top of that, the bombshell from that school, “Do not bring your child to school without a fully paid school fees bank slip”.

My father always retorted amidst financial challenges which presented themselves during seasonal celebrations, “ekinabawo kyetunalya” to mean we’ll consume that which will be available during that time.

Have we come to this? All in the name of managing festive, New Year, and school demands?

Spending what can bail that school requirement list out for a Christmas or new year’s spree will turn you into the missed phone call that’s begging for money to take back your kids to school.

By the way, God will not be angry with you for editing the Christmas/New year’s list to cater to your survival or life's basic needs but HE might be very angry if you forget the true meaning of Christmas.

I will leave you with 1 Timothy 6:17.

 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!