It is that time of year again when the back-to-school circulars are flooding our mailboxes, and the commercials are flooding the airwaves. Buy, buy, buy, buy is the overwhelming message, and the schools do not help make it easy to stay within a budget. First the typical school child needs an extensive list of very specific school supplies ranging from a certain style of notebook to the classroom supplies like bandaids, Kleenex, wipe-off markers, and clear tape. As my mother-in-law perused the lists for my nephew, I was shocked to think of what sending my three children off to school would cost just for the basic supplies.
Then you have the clothing, kids are bombarded by ads for the "hot" brands, the "must have" item of the season daily as they watch TV or play on the computer, they then bombard you the poor parent who is trying to stretch every dollar just to keep food on the table and gas in the cars. They want to shop at The Gap and Old Navy, not Walmart. Sadly too many parents spend far more than they need to in order to keep their children happy.
As a homeschooling family though, back-to-school shopping is so much easier. Clothing, we buy as needed. No rush to have new stuff come late August, we can hit the clearance sales, and actually we are proud to admit we hit the Thrift store for most things and the kids love hunting for bargains and cool items. We shop Old Navy, just out of season, and are set for the next one.
I actually waited for the biggest and best school supply sale to hit this year because my surplus of notebooks had finally dwindled down. I am not a dumb Mama Bear I look for a bargain and ten cent notebooks set my heart on fire. So off to Shopko I went to get notebooks, pens, fresh markers, and some more folders. Time shopping = less than five minutes. Time being frustrated as I fought through the school supply department = too long to calculate. From grumpy parents to greedy kids it was a war zone. A zone I am glad I don't have to maneuver through often.
Other than ordering a few textbooks at the end of this month, we're 100% set to start our 2008/2009 academic year here at The Dreamcatcher Academy, a name we selected when the boys were little and fascinated by Native American studies.
Some ask me if my children feel deprived when it comes to this time of year and all of their friends are getting new clothes, and I just laugh. Why would they feel deprived. When my children need something, they get it. When they want something they work to earn it...yep I'm mean like that too.
My back-to school expenses:
Supplies = $24
Curriculum = $150
Peace of mind = priceless
11 Visited the Universe:
You're teaching your kids so much more than academics! Way to go Mama Bear!
Back to school, Penelope? Our schools just closed... How come it's back to school already where you are? :)
AMEN!!!!I love stocking up on supplies when everything goes on clearance. And thankfully, we have now reached the point that our curriculum doesn't cost that much each year. I just graduated our first so I have books to cover us the whole way except the consumables. And I make my kids only shop the clearance racks too (although they usually are at Old Navy), guess I am mean that way too. LOL. Nice to "meet" you.
They actually had FIVE cent notebooks here!
Good choice..! Well, I prefer to shop at Classic Closeouts for back to school shopping.
That is one of the things are really miss now that my kids are in public school...the LACK of back-to-school shopping!!
My son insisted on going to High Schhol this year, to play with the competition marching band. Already the very THOUGHT of the shopping I have to do is making me ill...
LOL I have two older boys in PS and I've gotten to the point where I CUT the five-cent notebooks to make "loose leaf paper." And the teacher specifies a 120-page notebook? I give the 5 cent 70 page anyway and *whatever.* It's not that I have a bad attitude precisely (though I do have that sometimes when requirements are asinine), more that I don't think the teachers are realizing how difficult it is to fulfil some of these requests EVEN IF money were no object. I used to go around to five or six stores sometimes and not find 'the' requested item.
If it's that important, the teacher will write back or I'll just send a new notebook when the 70-pager runs out. That's around the time the kid loses it anyway.
See what a cynic I am? LOL!
Hey, you forgot all the money you are saving on the "optional and voluntary" fundraiser stuff as well. Oh, happy day! :]
PS forgot to tell ya I came by on the carnival.
Yay for thrift stores and 10 cent back to school sales! Love this post. Thanks!
We LOVE the BTS season for all the great deals on 70-page "schedules" as my daughters call them. Target usually sells them for 20-25 cents EACH!! One year my mom bought several cases of them and delivered them at Christmastime. It was a wonderful gift.
We do thrift stores and hand-me-downs(for the girls) too and I love not having to buy $$$$ of stuff for the school year. Oh, and several schools in our area have gone to uniforms(gag me with a spoon). I won't even go there.
Molly
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