"Where am I gonna get the money from?": Jenny's school bill with a two-week deadline

The school gave Jenny two weeks. Her son is in year 10, there was a course on offer for next year, only ten places in the class, and the fee was due inside a fortnight. "I feel like, oh my God, where am I gonna get the money from?"

Jenny was born in Jakarta and lives in Bunbury with her partner and two teenagers, a 16-year-old boy and a girl who's just turned 13. Her partner earns well and covers the big household bills, her own pay has a family job to do though: "My money, when I get paid, I just pay. For my kids." And the kids are not getting cheaper.

Ask about her finances and she doesn't talk about herself, she gives you the list. "[For] everything [the] price is going on the top of the roof." Groceries. School fees and uniforms. Her daughter does athletics: "We have to pay the coach, per hour is 100 bucks, plus we have to pay the track, plus the equipment and the transport and food." Her son's car is paid off, but he's under 18, so the rego sits in her name, and driving lessons, she notes, are not cheap either.

She doesn't budget, and never has. "I'm not spending like crazy. I'm not a party girl." She gets paid fortnightly, pays what needs paying, and keeps the rest in her head. But sometimes life means borrowing. "Even electricity, three months you borrow the electricity money and then you pay. Nothing is free in this world. Gas, water, you're using it, you just borrow money, and then you're gonna pay later."

A two-week deadline with nowhere to go

The course fee sat outside anything she'd planned for. Two weeks is too short to save your way there, and letting the deadline pass meant losing the spot. "Only 10 people in the class. Oh my God."

She downloaded the app and applied for a loan. The part she liked was that it showed her the shape of the loan before she committed. "Telling you the fee, how many years, and then how much every fortnight."

Then an email saying the application was under review, and then a phone call. "The lady called me. 'Hey Jenny, can I call you?' It's about 15 minutes, she is asking me questions, what it's for… I said, I got this for my son's school. And then after she hangs up, she sends it. Transfer it."

The loan was $5,000, and there's a moment from that phone call she recalls that shocked her. "I remember the lady asking, do you want more? You want 10,000, you want 15,000? I feel like, are you serious? I said no. Too much."

She'd borrowed before, so she had something to compare it to. There's a separate loan from last year, arranged through the hospital when she needed surgery, and two credit cards. What stood out this time was the tone of the lender. "No judging. No question. Just asking what you need."

The course fee went in on time, spot secured. The repayment is $179 a fortnight. "I can pay, no delay. The timeline's been scheduled. So don't worry about the fee."

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Disclaimer: Jenny’s experience is her own and is not a guarantee of a similar result. The information in this article is general in nature and was prepared for information purposes only. It should not be considered financial advice and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances and seek independent advice before making a financial decision.