School Supplies: The Bane Of My Existence
We’re in full back to school mode here, and I already hate it. I know it’s wrong of me to say, especially since this is only my second year (and my first year with two children needing school supplies), but I’m becoming convinced that teachers conspire with their school supply lists to drive us batty before school even begins.
Last year, we had an impossible item on our list. Mister Man’s kindergarten teacher required that we purchase a pack of eight Crayola crayons. Now, generally this wouldn’t be such a big deal because they’re all over the stores, right? Well, his teacher required that they be not the big, fat crayons that make up the eight packs. Nope, she wanted the skinny crayons. And yes, they had to be Crayolas. I asked.
Those skinny crayon packs simply don’t come in eight. I outsmarted her though – I bought a pack of twenty-four, and I simply removed the eight colors we needed and place the rest in the crayon box in our craft room. That’ll teach her.
Then it was on to the next item. I needed Crayola (again, the brand was required – others simply dry out too quickly) Classic color markers in both thin and broad tip. Broad tip? I scored them for a dollar. Rock on, the thin tips were also on sale for a dollar. Except that there wasn’t a single store in my area that still had them in stock. I went to store after store after store searching for these mysterious items.
Granted, part of my problem might have come from waiting until two weeks before school to begin my supply shopping, but every store? And those markers were the only things totally sold out? Someone in purchasing didn’t do a good job forecasting demand last year. I finally found them, and yes, I bought the last four packages for a dollar out of spite.
This year, I figured I had a handle on things. I bought those thin and broad tip markers in July knowing that I’d need them. Ha! Fool me once, and all that. Crayons, done. In fact, it’s possible I had to return some crayons, glue sticks, and glue bottles because I was a little overenthusiastic.
The one item I held off on purchasing was folders because I wanted the wee ones to choose what color they wanted. That was my mistake. When I took Little Miss school supply shopping to get those last few items, folders were gone. Or at least the $0.15 on sale folders were. The $1.60 fancy folders were there in spades. Buying six of them, I wasn’t about to spend an extra $8.70, because I am that cheap.
I simply went to the next store. And the next. And the next.
We finally found some folders, but they were not the nice thick glossy $0.15 folders. They were the much thinner, cheaper ones that I know I’ll have to replace throughout the year. Adding insult to injury is that the folders I did want were on sale last week for $0.01 at one store – after I’d bought and labeled the others.
Needless to say, I’m now pressing Mister Man’s school to do a school supply program. I’d much rather grouse about writing a check for more than I want than trying to track down whatever evil items the supply lists call for next year!
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Category: Mom Challenges, School
I wonder if teachers put any thought in compiling their school supply lists at all. If they did, the list would surely include 24 packs of crayons, on sale in July and August for 25 cents. But I guess THAT would be too much to ask of them.
Totally great idea about suggesting to the school that they sell the supplies in boxes. I loved when I could buy them that way.
P.S. You probably should’ve bought the fancy folders; you spent a ton on gas money with all that driving around!
luckily our school district keeps it easy for us requesting the standard sizes of most things and asking for “fiskars- like” scissors. the only thing they ask for that I can’t find is a LARGE bottle of elmers type glue. So I sent two smaller bottles. But I have seen some of the crazy lists and I’d do just like you…8, really ONLY 8, fine have them from my .25 pack because if you can find the 8 pack is its generally 1.99 which I also just find plain weird.
I had the same fun finding school supplies. When I did find them, I bought doubles so I could replenish later in the year. I had to buy folders in eight different colors, so I now have four extras of each color. Each girl can ruin two per year. They will have to live with the third one until the end of the school year — no matter what shape it is in.
we JUST completed our list only to find out from the teacher that someone else made the list and we don’t need 90% of what is on the list. but we DO need two other things that are NOT on the list…
back to the stores we go…
I used to LOVE the whole back-to-school shopping thing. Loved it. But, man, it sounds like it has gotten pretty complicated these days.
What about a website that allowed teachers to register their list and then bundled the items so parents have a one-stop online resource and pay one price for the package? Is there anything like this? Or should I be moving fast in case someone takes this brilliant idea and makes millions?
Yes, people, teachers put a great deal of thought into school supply lists. I teach fourth grade, and I plan these lists like the invasion of Normandy. We try to communicate with the stores, but store buyers don’t want to hear from us. #$?*%!! The ones who really suffer are the kids who don’t have what they need for classes.
It’s exhausting. My husband and I don’t do it together. He gets so testy. I don’t need all THAT ATTITUDE on top of my already stressed out brain!
Rita – I’m sure they put thought into them, but the sale prices probably aren’t top of mind
Melisa – Fortunately, all the stores are right near each other… and I had a purpose for going to each one when I went. We won’t talk about how I ended up not needing all Little Miss’s folders.
Lisa – That’s nice how they do it. We had no “like” products on ours. I’m impressed that you found the thin 8 packs though, even at $1.99. I still haven’t found any!
Shari – I like your rule of having to live with the third folder… but here’s hoping you never need them!
Melanie – Ohhhh that’s frustrating. Boo to the school that did that. Was it at least a brand new teacher hired after the lists were created who couldn’t have changed it?
Lisa – Yeah… someone came up with that brilliant idea already. That’s the service I’m trying to convince Mister Man’s school to implement for next year. That would be so much easier!
Daisy – Kudos to you for planning them out, but not everyone does, nor do I imagine that most (many?) teaachers try to talk to store buyers. Then again – this is where the prepackaged stuff comes in handy. You order closer to the source than stores where you know ahead of time what is and won’t be available.
Kelly – I can’t even imagine a dad WANTING to do the back to school shopping. Huh. But then again, I don’t think I’d want mine going with me either
[...] Teachers: Don’t Blow Your Wad on School Supplies Posted on September 17, 2010 by baconpirates| Leave a comment A few years ago, I read a blog post from a parent about her child’s school supply list. I couldn’t locate that one, but did find another like it from this year: http://thechicagomoms.com/2010/09/school-supplies-the-bane-of-my-existence/ [...]
I must admit that as a teacher there are definitely items that I request on my school supply list; however, I don’t want to be too particular. So many times I go to the teacher supply store.
Cara – I get why there are certain things where it’s important to be particular because it makes a difference. But being so particular that the item doesn’t exist is killing me! The teacher supply stores rock though. I adore those places!