Ale's school fund stands at $336 right now...estimated by end of July is $466...from here, I have to pay $54 for the Technokids fee (computer training- the $54 is the fee for the year)...$18 accident insurance ...about $25 for the pants/socks/cardigan...(I still have those other $40 for shoes) ...that would leave me with $369...with that I can cover 2 months tuition...add $42 and I can cover 3 months tuition, which would be ideal....at the end of the year, I'd be able to "save" those 3 months into the School fund for 2007...we'll see how it works out!...I just like to keep these things in mind, and writing them down helps....also, as I go, I can see how my plans change/evolve!

went to Siman (dept store) today...no cardigans (in ANY color), no sweatpants... shoes WAY too expensive (white tennis shoes ON SALE $45.99!!)

to look at sweat pants, shoes and sweaters/cardigans...I almost had a heart attack!...a pair of sweatpants for $24??...a cardigan for $24??...

At least, it gives me a reference point regarding prices...

I went to Hiper Europa and they don't have either...went to Hiper Paiz and they had some pants... some were $6 and some were $10...but neither looked like they could survive 2 trips in the washing machine without coming apart!!

I found Hush Puppies mary janes at $25 at the Hush Puppies store...I found the same style for $15 at the outlet....(didn't check for sizes, though...I really think my best bet is to wait at least until mid-July to get the shoes...unless I find a REALLY great bargain!...because Ale outgrows her shoes every 6 months!)

Things I need to get:

School supplies (need list, have stuff in stock -leftover from sale last year)

shoes (2 pairs)- 1 black school shoes and 1 white tennis shoes...comparison shopping at the moment!

sweat pants for gym class (2) - navy blue... available at many stores, checking prices at the moment

Book bag - need to check if the school has restrictions on these (can they have characters or do they need to be solid colors only...) Size will depend on school supply list!...we also have some left over from the sale...


Stuff I'd like to get

light sweater - navy or white...not very common...keeping my eyes open...the alternative might be to knit it myself...the cold months are still far away enough that I might just finish in time...(might be more expensive than a ready-made one, though!)

coin bag - for Ale to bring her allowance to school...might knit THAT one!

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will update this list as I find items, including prices, before making a final decision....

At the new school they have a small store where they sell food and snacks...
Ale will be staying there for lunch, which means I'll have to pack a snack and a lunch for her...I have been thinking about givin her a small allowance ($2.50/week)...she can decide whether she spends it all on one day or whether she uses a bit every day...($2 seems adequate since that would be $0.50/day...)...she has never really managed money on her own...apart from when I let her buy her own stuff at the marketplace or at the flea-market...but I'm always around to see that at least they give her her change right and stuff like that!...
Yesterday, I gave her $0.50 for school...and, she told me "Mom, I was lucky that I found something that I wanted to buy and it only cost $0.25, because I lost the other coin you gave me..." ...(EEk!) I told her it was a shame that she had lost the other coin, because she could have 1. used it to buy something else some other day or 2. bought some more of whatever it is she liked at school...I told her she should be more careful with money...but, unless I GIVE her some, how can she really learn to take care of it??...
So, this is the plan: Starting August, Ale gets $2.50/week...if she's responsible with it (doesn't lose the money, manages to save some), then in 3 months she can get $3.00) if not, she'll have to wait longer to get "a raise"...

Took Ale today for her evaluation...they LOVED her!...she integrated with her class very easily and even participated in the rehearsals for the end-of-shool-year pageant! LOL! ..."unfortunately", because of the rehearsal, they couldn't fully evaluate her in math and motor skills (she's inverting her numbers and is having difficulty distinguishing left and right...we are working on that!)...so, she didn't get evaluated on her "weak" issues! ...
Anyway, I paid for the following today:
$230.00 - complement of enrollment fee
$160.00 - English books
$25.00 - Spanish books
$45.86- set of uniforms (3 daily, 3 PE)
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$460.86 total

(to be discounted from the $500 my boss gave me for Ale's school!) =)

which means the total cost to me is $100 (that I had previously paid) ...The remaining $39.14 will go towards shoes! (she needs black shoes for daily and white tennis shoes for PE...will get those end-of June or beginning of August, as Ale's feet DO grow much faster than the rest of her! LOL!)

Again, since I have to be more careful, I want to know what I'm REALLY spending on Ale's school (notice how I am staying away from the grocery bill, where I might have REAL opportunity for cost cutting??...don't worry, I've noticed, too!)

2006-2007 school period

enrollment fee: $330
(paid $100 on21/apr/06)
books: $160
(based on last year's brochure, not listed for this year)
uniforms: $??
monthly tuition: $137 ($1,507/year)

total, without uniforms, SHOULD be $1,997.00