Brains for your buck: How to get your kids a head start on the cheap

Spare no expense for your child’s education, or so the common logic goes. But it’s no mean feat to juggle day-to-day expenses with the cost of private schools, extra-curricular activities or private tuition. Here are a few tips to help you give your children a head start without having to break into their piggy banks:



• Send them packin’. Packing your children’s lunches for school may not be the most glamorous-sounding way to keep expenses down, but it’s a whole lot cheaper than giving them lunch money every day - not to mention better for their health in the long run. Sandwiches, pastas and other quick lunches are easy to make and even easier to eat.




• Only buy what you need. Buying the latest in gadgets and technology is only going to prove costly down the track, so why not rent instead? Laptops, mobile phones and other technological items can all be leased for as long (or short) as you need them under home appliances rental schemes, which are often also the most cost-effective option for whitegoods if your kids are staying at boarding school. Home appliances rental is also a good way to curb expenses on pricey household items - and that’s more than welcome to any busy family.



• Get your tax back. School fees getting you down? You may be able to claim up to 50% of your education expenses back from the Australian Government’s Education Tax Refund , which covers a whole range of items including computers, learning software, and day-to-day equipment like stationery and textbooks. You can claim the Education Tax Refund if you have a child in primary or high school, and it’s still available even if you don’t need to lodge a tax return. Put simply, it’s money back from the Government because you take your child’s education seriously. And why wouldn’t you?



It may be a cliché, but children are our future, and nothing’s going to change that. While education today may seem a pretty costly affair, these tips and some common sense can make going through school a whole lot less troublesome (at least for the parents). Now, if only someone could make exams that much easier...




Consider the benefits of giving your children the best head start with the latest technology. Learn more about home appliances rental from www.flexirent.com.au