Handy Hints for "Back to School".

It’s that time of the year again.  Parents are busy preparing their children for the beginning of another school year.  While this may be an exciting time for many, it can also mean anxiety and financial stress.   At Fair Finance we are acutely aware of how difficult financial stress can be and besides our own services, we have a few handy financial hints for stressed parents and families to consider.

Fair Finance can help families by providing safe and responsible small personal loans between $1000 and $4000 for those who can’t access finance from a mainstream financial service.  Our loans are useful when families are experiencing financial stress at times, such as the beginning of the school year, when funds are already stretched.

The Australian Government provides the Education Tax Refund which help with the cost of educating primary and secondary school children.  Eligible parents, carers, legal guardians and independent students are able to get money back on education expenses. These include items like computers, educational software, textbooks and stationery. You may get 50% of your money back. http://www.educationtaxrefund.gov.au/what-is-the-education-tax-refund.html

The Smith Family operates some assistance schemes for families struggling to meet "back to school" expenses. They also encourage families to save for this difficult time with the Saver Plus Program  which is a 10 month financial literacy and matched savings program that assists families to gain financial skills, establish a savings goal and develop long term savings habits. Set up in 2003 to encourage saving for educational expenses, Saver Plus is now offered by a range of community agencies in 61 communities across all states and territories in Australia. http://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/site/page.cfm?u=245

The Department of Education and Training provides assistance to parents of secondary school age students attending state and approved non-state schools to contribute towards the cost of textbooks and learning resources. http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/grants/state/core/textbook.html

Remember that there is help for families facing financial stress.  Refer to our Resource Library for more information on how to access the assistance you may need.

18th January 2012