Steemit Engagement Challenge - S7W1 | The Diary Game, 03/01/2023, Back to school, back to reality!

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Hi there!

Spending! That is indeed what I did on this glorious day and although I planned for this day I was shocked at the amount I spend.

The experts say you can divide spending into three groups, interest, mandatory, and discretionary.

My dearest diary I invite you to determine if I’ve ticked all the boxes today.

RISE AND SHINE

Waking up in the early hours of the day is always pleasant. I can understand why Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath, wrote in his autobiography why he get up early and ask himself, "What good shall I do this day?"

Not only is it the time of the day to enjoy the beauty and stillness of a new day unfolding around you but the perfect time to do your planning.

Looking down on my to-do list I had one item that stood out like, “’n seer tand”, as we would say in Afrikaans, a sore tooth.
Back to school, back to reality! Registration and purchasing school uniforms and stationeries, are a nightmare for many moms.

It was clear what I will be doing today.

EARLY MORNING

After a cup of tea, a rusk, and a peak at Steemit I was ready for the task ahead.

Oh yes, I’m not sure if I told you before about rusks or “beskuit” as we call them. It is a traditional South African breakfast meal or a snack. It is a form of preserving bread and started in the 1600s when the settlers packed their wagons and started to explore the inland.

Bread dough is rolled into balls, packed closely together in a baking pan, and then it is baked in the oven. Once baked you break the pieces apart and then slowly bake them for the second time to dry them out. They are delicious when dunked in a cup of coffee or tea.

It was time to order that school uniform.

My son is starting at a new school this year. With our move to Ballito, we could not find him a place in a school that teaches in our home language, Afrikaans, therefore for the last six months of 2022, he attended a small English school. His father is adamant that he must attend school at a bigger school where he can participate in extra curriculum activities and sports.

Ballito is mainly English-speaking with result that there are only two schools where we could enroll him. We choose Curro Salt Rock. Believe it or not, they are only 5 kids in the Afrikaans class.

The school uniform can only be ordered online from one specific supplier. You have to take the measurements yourself and then according to that, you order the size the closest. What a nightmare!

In the end, I decided to only order one set school uniforms and one set of sports clothing just in case the sizes ordered were not correct.

STEEM price: 796,959

It was clear that I was one of those parents who had to spend thousands of Rands, (South Africa’s currency) on school uniforms which the Competition Commission is looking into. When you can only order from one supplier they can ask whatever they want as there is no competition.

I was added to a WhatsApp group of moms from the school. As I took my phone to phone the supplier to confirm delivery a message came through that caught my attention.

A mom was selling three brand-new school Bermuda shorts for R100 (33,052 STEEM) each.

There was no way I was going to leave this bargain even if it did not fit him now. They were one size bigger than the size I ordered from the wholesaler.

From the wholesaler, it would have cost R 319.33 (105,546 STEEM) for one. I bought all three for less than the price of one short.

As the move to our new home is happening in only a few days I had a couple of hours to do some packing while the electricity was down.

With the networks back functioning I received a second message that I was interested in, a mom advertising textbooks for Grade 7 in Afrikaans.

Just what I was looking for. To my surprise, I had to discover that she had the whole set of 7 textbooks and she is giving it away. I’ve just saved R 1,200 (396,628 STEEM).

I suppose I can tell you already, I bought some brownies to give to them to say thank you for the textbooks.

I immediately made arrangements to fetch them from her later in the afternoon.

There was time for an early and quick lunch, hotdogs!

MOM’S TAXI IS ON THE MOVE

Mom’s taxi did some driving to places never before this afternoon.

As I was about to leave home to go fetch the textbooks and pants, another message came in.

This time from a mom who has three shirts and one pants on offer. She wanted R 500 (165,262 STEEM) for all four the items. Wow! I could not believe my luck. Third time lucky!

By now the stress of the school uniforms not being delivered by the wholesaler in time, before school starts next week, was gone! Some of the items might be a bit big but rather too big than too small.

It was time to get mom's taxi on the move as not only did I have to pick up the textbooks and the clothes but I also had to stop to buy the stationery.
Yip, believe it or not, we have to buy all the stationery. A list that consists of 82 items. The school doesn't supply a single item.

The two most expensive items when you stay in Ballito, are schooling and renting accommodation.

My dearest diary let me show you all the places I stopped at this afternoon.

FROM	ADDRESS	GOOGLE MAPS
Mom 1	14 San Zingaro, Seaward Estates	Google maps
Mom 2	201 Kingfisher Boulevard, Brettenwood Coastal Estate	Google maps
Mom 3	12 JACKAL BERRY LANE Simbithi Eco Estate	Google maps
10/10 Stationers	12 Garlicke Dr, Ballito	Google maps

Dead tired!

That was how I felt when I eventually returned home with all the goods I bought.

I don't know if it was from the driving, the amount I spend, the standing for nearly an hour in the stationery shop, or the heat from the heatwave we are currently experiencing that got to me.

Never less, a quick swim cooled me down.

FROM DUSK TO DAWN

After supper, it was time to do a budget vs expenditure "reality check".

If you think that the days purchase cost a lot you will be stunned at the monthly school fees, R 7,200 (2379,773 STEEM).

All that I know is one thing, I am glad I don't have two kids attending school in Ballito.

Back to those three types of spending, do you think buying school clothes fit all three of these types, interest, mandatory, and discretionary?

Interest – Oh yeah! If you have not planned for this expense you will for sure found yourself paying more for the school uniform when you are paying with your credit card.

Mandatory – Wearing school uniforms are mandatory in South Africa except for some private schools leaving you with a budget item on your yearly budget.

Discretionary – If you stay in South Africa the answer is YES. It is an annual spending determined by our government as school uniforms are mandatory in government schools and forms part of education which we as parents can do without.

And now, now it is time to close your pages.

See you soon!

I invite:
@neukyan
@sumon247
@saintkelvin17

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