Fees and financial advice

[MrsP]

Dear T,

I do so sympathise with your predicament, but perhaps you can take some comfort from the fact that you are not alone!

Not all parents at StA are wealthy and many have to make sacrifices to send their sons to such a wonderful school. We have had to cut back our monthly expenditure on non-essentials (saving a fortune by not drinking wine during the week!), modify holidays (Turkey is very good value!) and I had to take a part-time job.

As a parent of a boy in Y9, I have to say that there have been very few 'hidden' extras along the way. The school appears to strive quite hard to keep costs down and limit financial demands on parents. (Even the first year trip to Wales + an extra activities week, represented amazing value: all food, accommodation, travel, entrance fees & a sweatshirt = £200.)

We cannot afford to send our son on the extra skiing holidays etc. but this has never been an issue for my son with his friends. They are generally a very nice bunch of well-grounded lads and he has never been teased or bullied for not having the latest phone or gadget. (One of his friends is very wealthy and loves to 'flash the cash'. My DS just tells him he is spoilt! )

I buy all his trousers/shirts from Tesco. He is also given a weekly amount of cash for lunch, which he has to budget carefully. No extras for drinks or snacks from the tuck shop - he goes to school with a bottle of tap water and shop-bought snacks.

Yes financially it is hard, but to my husband and I, StA is worth every penny and we couldn't imagine him attending any other school. Our DS is absolutely thriving (even though, according to WFG, the class sizes are so HUGE!!!)

x

[Tailsmo]

Excellent thread - just what I need to get my brain thinking about how to eat the school fees elephant.

I hadn't thought about babysitting - as DD will be boarding, I'll have time to do this if anyone I know will have me Do I need to get CRB checked??

This month, apart from usual bills and food, outlay has included £268 for summer camp (early booking in advance), £84 for Y6 school trip, £40 for Brownies Easter trip and £100 for indie school deposit (they allowed me to send 5 post dated cheques). Adding that all up comes to almost £500, not far off the amount I need to pay for fees each month.

Although I am aware that it is only 5th March - it's a long time to pay day!!

[MrsP]

And just to lighten the mood slightly .. there is apparently a mother in north London who has a web cam set-up to video herself ironing whilst naked!!! Apparently she earns a fortune

[lara228]

And just to lighten the mood slightly .. there is apparently a mother in north London who has a web cam set-up to video herself ironing whilst naked!!! Apparently she earns a fortune

Brilliant idea - will take bids and the highest gets me to turn off the camera!

[Amber]

And just to lighten the mood slightly .. there is apparently a mother in north London who has a web cam set-up to video herself ironing whilst naked!!! Apparently she earns a fortune

There are dangers inherent in ironing naked, and they are too eye watering to think of.

[Tailsmo]

That's not a second job anyone wants to see me doing

[manicmum]

Sounds like an old Desperate Housewives episode!

[marigold]

Without wishing to lower the tone, but I will anyway , I had supper at the weekend with a surgeon who specialises in the lower half and last week he did a "tidying up lower half " type operation on a woman who charges £2 a minute to look at her lower half on a web cam. That would pay a few school fees and you wouldn't have the risk of a hot iron.

[mad?]

Without wishing to lower the tone, but I will anyway , I had supper at the weekend with a surgeon who specialises in the lower half and last week he did a "tidying up lower half " type operation on a woman who charges £2 a minute to look at her lower half on a web cam. That would pay a few school fees and you wouldn't have the risk of a hot iron.

I need to get out more...or perhaps not! £120 per hour...hmmm

[marigold]

I can give you his card.