The truth they say could be stranger than fiction - it is undoubtedly non-fiction that most parents wish to provide their children with the best possible start in life on the road to a successful career. Biodun’s parents were no exception.

Biodun was a promising brilliant kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth. At age 3, Biodun could recite the 26-lettered alphabet flawlessly. He had started learning pronunciation from age 4 and could fluently read a 100-paged book within one week at age 6. His brilliance as confirmed by his busy parents was linked to the contributions from one of the leading schools and extra classes Biodun attended from crèche to Primary school. His father, who was a senior manager in a leading bank could afford any good school around the world for him. His young mother, Shalewa was running a small boutique that would break even over a 10-year period all things being equal.

Things were absolutely going well for Biodun’s family until his 8th birthday. Biodun’s father lost his job and the family had to depend on Shalewa’s boutique. Things got so worse that Biodun would soon stop schooling.

Biodun’s abrupt stop in his academic pursuit wasn’t as a result of his parents’ circumstances but absolutely was as a result of their inability to plan for his education even before he was born. With a sound financial plan, education expenses do not have to be such a daunting affair.

Please read below 4 simple ways to finance your child’s education even while you’re broke:

1. Start Saving: There’s no better way to financially prepare for our children’s education than saving for it. But at what point should caring parents start saving for their children’s education? According to HSBC, It would be best to start saving for your child's education as soon as possible, for the earlier you start to plan for your children's education, the longer you'll have to build a pot of funds to cover all the costs. Early start also gives you the greatest possible flexibility in fulfilling your children's needs, while a late start may result in either having to put aside a higher monthly contribution, or worse, not having sufficient funds to provide the education that you want for your children.

2. Have a Budget: It is important that you don’t bite more than you can chew as parents. Know your financial strength and never try to impress neighbours with your child’s school. I’ve seen many parents who incurred huge debts because they wanted their children to attend schools that their neighbours’ children attended. How can you prepare a simple budget for your child’s education? Write down all your monthly income and expenses such as mortgage, household maintenance, utility bills etc. viz-a-viz how much you can set aside for your children’s education. In your budgeting, bear in mind that the cost of children’s education is beyond tuition fees. Tuition is only a third of the total annual cost for your child’s education. In addition to tuition, add the costs of books, uniforms, extra-curricular activities and other expenses such as travel expenses during break if your child has picked a foreign education. When estimating the cost of your child's education most especially for tertiary education, also consider how much the living expenses might be. Click on this link to continue reading: http://edusko.com/simple-ways-finance-your-child%E2%80%99s-education