Michael Houghton: From fees to uniforms, here’s how we deal with the cost of back-to-school expenses

Many Irish families struggle with back-to-school expenses. Photo: Getty

Back in 2019, I went through a period of working part-time hours. I’d discovered the FIRE movement the year before and had fully embraced the time freedom aspect. By 2018, we had built our savings rate to about 50pc, so in 2019 I decided to reduce my hours and enjoy the superpower of more time freedom.

Life was good. My youngest child was two at the time, and I knew this was time I’d never get back. But there was a challenge. We were living on a strict budget.

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