Back to school supplies at a store in Toronto, on Aug. 18, 2021.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
Sending children back to school should not be the cost burden it has obviously become.
Last month, a community youth leader named Trevaun Douglas walked the 134 kilometres from mid-town Toronto to Niagara Falls, N.Y., as part of a GoFundMe to raise money for back-to-school spending by parents in his neighbourhood.
GoFundMe reports that there were roughly 4,144 campaigns in Canada to raise back-to-school funds over the 12 months to late August. Total funds raised: $46,000 by Mr. Douglas as of late August and $4.4-million for the other campaigns.
Inflation has turned daily and monthly costs like food and rent or mortgage payments into a burden, and it’s doing the same for yearly rituals and milestones like kids returning to school.
“There’s a lot of financial stress on parents in the community,” the 26-year-old Mr. Douglas said in an interview. “It comes down to, am I going to buy my kids back to school supplies, or am I going to put food on the table?”
A recent poll by Abacus Data suggests parents are spending about $304 on back-to-school shopping this year on average, $20 more than last year. Compared to 2023, twice as many parents say they will spend more on their kids.
This projected spending probably undersells back to school costs. Mr. Douglas considers haircuts and new shoes as part of the cost of kids returning to school, plus food for lunches. You could also add the cost of electronics for older students.
Mr. Douglas undertook his Aug. 10-12 walk to help families and send out good vibes about his neighbourhood and its community spirit. He started with a goal of raising $10,000, and then was persuaded by a colleague to aim higher. He settled on $25,000, a goal his campaign has easily surpassed.
To dramatize the goal of raising $25,000, Mr. Douglas wore a 25-pound vest on his walk. The journey with one friend accompanying him the whole way lasted 46 gruelling hours, including a few brief powernaps.
“Our ankles were swelling, our knees,” Mr. Douglas said. There’s also a mental game – you’re watching the sun go down and come out and then go down again.”
Mr. Douglas says enough money was raised to help families with back-to-school costs and fund other community projects. He also managed to tick something off his own personal to-do list.
“The funny thing is that one of my goals this year was to travel outside of Ontario,” he said. “I accomplished my goal by walking across the border.”
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Rob’s personal finance reading list
This one-million kilometre car
Talk about getting your money’s worth from a vehicle. When I saw this story on CBC, I immediately wondered what type of car was involved. You won’t be surprised when you find out.
Once you’re gone, you can’t come back
Some of the Toronto homeowners who fled the city for cottage life in the pandemic are finding they miss the urban life. Moving back to the city isn’t easy, though. Prices in Toronto are expensive, while demand for cottages has flatlined.
Life with a heat pump
A report on what’s it’s like to replace a gas furnace with an electric heat pump, with tips for buying a heat pump. The benefits are lower overall heating costs and lower carbon emissions, but with a substantial upfront cost. Now for a look at whether it’s worth the money to install solar panels on your roof.
Best online will kits
A thorough review of four different options for completing a will using an online template rather than consulting a lawyer. Online wills cost between $50 and $200, whereas a lawyer could cost a couple of thousand dollars. Here’s a newsletter Q&A from last year on online wills. If you have children or property and investments, you need a will. Done deal, over and out.
Podcast fans
Subscribe to Stress Test on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Ask Rob
Reader comment: “I disagree with the Anglo-euro perspective that achieving adulthood is living apart from one’s family. Canadian society is ever-more diverse and multi-generational households are more common. Many multi-gen homes are experiencing a higher standard of living and health. Living without one’s family is not the nirvana that it has previously been purported, and it is a classist perspective to boot.”
Do you have a question or comment for me? Send it my way. Sorry I can’t answer every one personally. Questions and answers are edited for length and clarity.
Tools and guides
Are you a Scene+ member? Here’s how many points you need to get a free movie
In the social sphere
Social Media: A Reddit discussion on the hefty cost of financing new vehicles. I do notice that financing rates offered by dealers are coming down as sales plateau.
Watch: A woman who moved to affordable Edmonton from expensive Toronto talks about the differences between the two cities. Check out how much cheaper rent is.
Money-Free Zone: The song Empty Trainload of Sky opens a new album from country artists Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and it’s a beauty if you can wrap your head around their dark, austere style.
More PF from The Globe
- Fall is buying time in cottage country
- Canada’s best online broker has had a summer of ups and downs
- I’m a vegetarian on a tight budget. Here’s how I make meals for one on $50 a week
- The high cost of real estate commissions
