showerzinger,
I know members of scholarship committees and unfortunately, families cannot be trusted anymore. Lets also realize that EVERY penny that you don’t pay for tuition is money that has to be raised via donations OR gets funded into tuition increases which overburden more and more families.
Lets not forget that scholarships are tzedaka and you are supposed to avoid taking tzedaka.
As for summer camps – your children do NOT have to be hanging around in order to avoid sleepaway camp. They can volunteer or work in day camps. And please note, the specific camps I referenced often run $5,000+ (up to about $8,000).
Lets deal with these expenses one at a time:
Cheap vacation – $500 minimum (including gas, place to stay, attractions).
Cleaning help – usually a minimum of $1000/year (not a real necessity unless you have a disability or severe depression or something)
Kosher food – beans are kosher and cheap. Eggs are cheap. There are many cheaper alternatives to chicken and beef, the most expensive parts of the kosher diet. You can easily save $100 month on your grocery bill if you try.
Your attitude shows that Yeshiva tuition is not a priority. How is saving money at the expense of tuition ethical? And you wonder why tuition committees need to grill people?