Starting a family? Plan the financial side in advance

Itsyourmoney.ie have put together a great guide and budgeting tool to allow you plan the costs of any new arrivals. Unfortunately there is no plan you can put in place to ensure you get your eight hours every night!

http://www.itsyourmoney.ie/iym/children

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'Springboard' at Dublin Business School

DBS (in conjunction with the Higher education authority) are giving access to a number of courses for free to the unemployed, information can be found here.

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Make sure you are receiving your Tax relief

While most property related tax reliefs have been abolished over the last few budgets, a number still remain. Its important to take some time to make sure you are aware of what qualifies for relief.

Some of these reliefs are available to be claimed back at the end of the year and some are TRS (Tax relief at source).

• Pension contributions
• Income protection policies
• Mortgage interest relief
• Rent relief
• Private medical insurance policies
• Medical expenses
• Service charges (Bins etc)
• Trade Union Subscriptions (up to 01/01/2011)
• Tuition Fees
• Interest relief (Unsecured home improvement loans)
• Rent a room scheme
• Childcare services (in your own home, up to €15k)

Details on all the current reliefs are available on the Revenue website.
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Children are being priced out of the market when it comes to education: Barnardos

In a report released today, Barnardos have found that lack of access to back to school allowances and a rise in the general back to school costs are affecting families countrywide.

The survey of 500 people show the average costs involved:
* School specific tracksuits - €35
* School specific jumpers - €40-60
* School specific coats or blazers – over €100
* School shoes - €50-70
* Books for junior infants - €50-100
* First year secondary school student’s books - €250
* Voluntary contributions – €70-100
* Additional contributions sought by schools for photocopying, stationery etc. - €40-50
* Extra curricular activities such as swimming - €75-100
* Transport for primary school - €50 (up to a maximum of €110 per family)
* Transport for secondary school - €350 (up to a maximum of €650 per family)

The full report can be found here.

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