Starting 'Em Young

The new school year is gonna start soon. Meaning it's time to prepare for it - the uniforms, books, stationaries etc. Which, of course, would mean that spending money (and time). Yeah, they are all rather costly these days. But thankfully, for this coming year, I had been informed that SRAH students are going to get 'Buku Pinjaman' - Alhamdulillah :-) Actually, I don't mind buying our own textbooks but since the MoE announced that all students at government schools are getting 'buku pinjaman' regardless of their backgrounds, it's became so difficult to find the textbooks at bookshops / bookstores.

Well, now that we don't hafta worry about the textbooks, there are still other things to spend money on, of course :-P Since Ahmad 'Ainul is also going to school next year, the expenses are gonna be doubled. (Money again :-P). Based on stories / articles featured by the media, I realise that some parents do face difficulties in making the preparations since they involve lotsa money. Many depend on their Dec salary and year-end bonus. I feel that it's wiser to save money all year round instead of depending on last-minute money.

I feel that the kids also should be educated on money matters especially on something that directly involve them like school items. Is it worth buying a branded school bag that costs RM100 when you can get the same unbranded bag for half the price ? What about stationeries then ? Same rule should apply. The important is, getting good quality ones at reasonable prices. Some stationeries (like pens or pencils) might be very cheap but they don't last long and then you need to buys them again - so, more money is gonna be spent. I like going to Mydin for the stationeries (excpet for pens - somehow it's hard to find good quality pens there). I like pencils and erasers and rulers etc sold there though.

Too bad there's no Mydin in Ipoh. Oh, well ... we can always go to Mydin Kota Bharu. But the crowds ...!