The school gates will close in July for the long holiday, and for many families it feels like a season to relax. But September has a way of arriving faster than we expect. When it does, it brings a familiar wave of pressure: tuition to settle, uniforms to buy, shoes that no longer fit, exercise books, scholastic materials, transport and, for some, boarding costs. ALSO READ: How to protect your money when prices keep rising Families who wait until the last weeks of August often find themselves scrambling, borrowing under pressure, or selling something valuable at a poor price just to get a child back into class on time. ALSO READ: Enjoying wedding season without the financial hangover It does not have to be this way. The summer months between now and the new academic year are not empty time. They are a savings runway. Used well, they can turn September from a crisis into a calm, planned event. ALSO READ: Preparing your finances for emergencies and disasters In Rwanda, few things are valued more highly than a child's education. Parents and guardians sacrifice a great deal to keep young people in school, because we all understand that learning is one of the surest paths to a better life. ALSO READ: How to use AI as your financial coach That is exactly why the money side of education deserves the same seriousness we give the studying side. Good intentions do not pay fees. A plan does. Start with the full picture, not just tuition The first move is to write down everything September will actually cost, not just the headline tuition figure. Add the uniform, the shoes, the books and pens, the bag, transport, and any examination or activity fees. When you see the true total, you can work backwards. If you expect to need, say, Rwf80,000 for one child, and you have eight weeks before school opens, that is Rwf10,000 a week. Suddenly a number that felt impossible becomes a small, steady habit. Spread across two or three children, the same method still works; the weekly figure simply guides how disciplined you need to be. Give the money a separate home The danger with money kept in your main wallet or everyday MoMo balance is that it quietly disappears into daily needs. So, give your school savings a separate home. Many Rwandans already know the power of this through ibimina, our savings groups. Consider forming or joining an ikimina dedicated only to school costs, where members contribute weekly and receive their share just before the term begins. If you prefer to save alone, a separate SACCO account or a dedicated mobile money savings goal does the same job. The point is simple: money you cannot easily touch is money that will still be there in September. There is wisdom in the old encouragement of buhoro buhoro; slowly but steadily. A parent who sets aside a small amount each week, without fail, will be ready long before the parent who hopes to find one large sum at the end. This is also a chance to teach. Let your children see you preparing. Explain that the new uniform and the new books came from months of small, deliberate choices. That lesson in planning may serve them as well as anything they learn in the classroom. So, this week, before you get too busy or forget, do three things in spirit if not all at once: estimate the true cost, divide it by the weeks you have, and open a separate place to keep it. September will still come. The difference is whether it finds you ready. The writer is a personal finance expert, speaker, and author of 16 books including the New York Times bestseller Zero Debt. She and her husband Earl Cox are expanding their financial education firm in Rwanda to support financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.
