Back to School
We are nearing the end of summer, and it is time for kids across the country to go back to school. The retailers have started the full-scale assault on parents to get to the mall and buy their kids clothes, shoes, computers and other items that your kids cannot live without. Oh, how could I forget those back to school supplies. My school district provides an online list of school supplies by grade level. These lists are just ridiculous. Why does an elementary kid need so many supplies?
My kids are obsessed with getting to Staples or some other store to purchase these supplies. They insist that if we don't shop early the store will be sold out of these supplies. I have two kids, so the costs of these supplies can send my budget over the top. My daughter will be a seventh grader this year. I had to purchase a calculator for $125, and I have to pay lab fees this year. It will cost about $300 just for her school supplies.
I remember my back-to-school days. My mother bought basic supplies and had enough money to purchase clothes for the new year. She was never stressed over school supply lists that would amount to the weekly grocery bill. We did not have a list of school supplies. Every kid showed up on the first day with a pencil, eraser, notebook paper and a shiny new notebook. The teachers provided you with everything else. If you couldn't afford these basic supplies, they were provided by the school. I was reminiscing about the good old days and my daughter quickly pointed out that this was how things were done in the age of the dinosaurs. Well, I long for the days of the dinosaur. Life was so simple!