How Much Does It Cost? Back to School part 1 of 4

by Nicole

This weekend I got to shop for a 5th grade girl. When I saw her supply list, I was quite surprised. I knew the list would be long and I expected the basics...pencils, notebooks, glue, but what surprised me most was the quanities she needed. Two dozen pencils. Four notebooks. Two glue sticks AND a bottle of glue. I remember buying some supplies as a child, but those were more to show my individuality rather than by necessity. It was obvious to me by the quanities I needed to supply that the days of schools being able to provide need supplies was gone. By the time I got through the list and added an inexpensive backpack, I was surprised to learn I had spent $56.53. It is decieving when crayons are a quarter and you can get so many items under a dollar each. But when you need several of each item, it really adds up. In addition, every elementary school child also needs an emergency kit. These kits contain trash bags, soup, snacks, water, etc. - all the things a child might need in the event of an emergency that strands them at school. Some stores do sell these kits as do many PTAs at the schools. The store I was shopping at, however, did not. When I weighed the option of buying these individual items myself, I chose to by it from the school at a cost of $7.00 bringing our supply total to $63.35.

Knowing that families on a tight budget wouldn't have the luxury of shopping around, I headed to the clothing section of the same retail store where I bought the school supplies. On this list was a complete first-day outfit...a top, jeans, shoes, socks, unmentionables and I threw in a jacket. The first day of school is the great equalizer. Everyone wears their favorite new outfit and brings in fresh supplies. On this one day, everyone is the same. I was concious of this as I shopped but also kept in mind the circumstances of limited resources. I shopped the sale items, buying things that were trendy and cute but not pricey. I thought I was going to come out pretty cheap but was surprised to learn that despite my efforts, I still spent $81.39.

My grand total was $144.74. For a family watching every penny, that can be quite a burden. That could be a couple of weeks groceries. Or the difference between keeping the electricity on and being unable to pay the bill. As a mom, it was hard to think about the choices I'd have to face just to send my child to school with the basics. I hate to think what a family would have to do without in order to send one child back to school.