UAE parents find creative ways to cut costs ahead of new term

From a A thriving textbook exchange communityto an online marketplace for parents to buy and sell used uniformencourage children to play chef And to bake their favourite food instead of ordering takeaway, families in the UAE are doing everything they can to keep costs down.

Before the new school year begins, at the end of August, parents have a lot to consider, including new books, notebooks and stationery.

Every year, families spend thousands of dirhams on school uniforms, bags, shoes, hats and tracksuits ahead of the new term.

Priya D’Souza, who lives in Dubai and is originally from India, is struggling to keep her budget under control, and last summer she thought teaching her daughter to bake would prove to be a more cost-effective option than ordering from a restaurant.

“I started baking because my kids, all teenagers, had a sweet tooth. Then during the pandemic, my daughter started baking,” says Mrs. D’Souza.

“She learned to bake cookies and tried making puddings and now ice cream.”

Mrs. D’Souza said she took her children to the grocery store to educate them about prices and easy alternatives to cooking at home instead of dining at a restaurant.

Many parents in the UAE are looking for budget-friendly ways to get school uniforms without spending thousands of dirhams.

A quick search on classifieds site Dubizzle showed more than a dozen ads for old school uniforms from different schools.

Last year, parents told National they are frustrated with having to do this Buying poor quality, overpriced school uniforms. They urge schools to ensure affordable options are available.

Thousands of parents also found a reduction School spend, Through the growing UAE textbook exchange Community.

Parents exchange textbooks, selling them at discounted prices or, in some cases, giving them away to others.

family saving

Arpita Trivedi, an Indian mother of two in Dubai, tried a unique approach to encourage her 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son to save water and money at the same time.

“I bought a bucket, I filled it with water, and told them to use it for a bath, so they would only use that amount of water. It’s pretty basic stuff, but it makes a big difference,” Tet said Mrs Rividi said.

She also came up with the experience of dining at home and watching movies.

“We’ve seen a lot of movies before [at the cinema]. Now, because of online streaming, we watch movies at home, which also dampens spending,” she said.

“We used to spend a lot of money on snacks as well, now we make popcorn at home and we sit together as a family and have a great time.”

Mrs Trivedi said her family discovered their cooking abilities during the pandemic when people were stuck at home.

She said they started cooking together.

“We make our own versions of different recipes,” Mrs Trivedi said.

She said many of the things they’ve bought in the past have proven unnecessary.

“We always make a list and try to stick to it because what has happened in the past is we used to go to the supermarket without a list, remember very little and bring back 50 things,” she said.

learn the value of money

Moomal Tariq, a doctoral student at UAE University and a mother of one living in Al Ain, said she learned to drive to reduce transportation costs.

she says school bus fee For her 8-year-old son, it has increased from AED 6,000 last school year to AED 6,500 this school year.

“I got my driver’s license and decided to take him to and from school starting the new term. Transport costs at school are going up and it’s safer to use our cars,” Ms Tariq said.

She also tries to teach her son financial literacy.

When her son asked Dh300 for a book at the school book fair, she explained to him that he was asking for a large amount and gave him Dh100 instead.

“In real life, you have to make choices based on the money you have, you can’t have everything you like. It’s important for kids to understand the value of money,” she said.

Many parents choose not to use school transport and take turns picking up their children and their friends to save on costs.

Updated: 8/8/2022 3:30am