How much did you spend on school supplies this year?

[ijack]

Only for one child (pick the highest amount), and just things that were required in the classroom, don't count backpacks, lunchboxes, etc.

Our school's list is insane compared to the rest of our city and I'm curious.

[rootbeerfloat]

Right around $50 and that includes things like paper towels, hand sanitizer, tissue, etc.

Your list is insane!

[mie]

My guess is in the $50-70 range, but I can't be sure. We enrolled her in a school, bought all of the supplies and then 3 weeks before the school year started she got into a different school and we opted to enroll her there. Even though both are public schools, they had very different supply lists.

[barefootcontessa]

Not exactly sure, $20 at the most, including the communal stuff. I shop when there are super sales and stock up and also make a donation. About 25% at my son's school are free/reduced lunch.

[SpartanGirl]

I'd estimate about $30. It was $60 for 2 kids but it was split fairly evenly I think.

[cjeanette]

I added up our total at around $100 so I put $50. We did have a couple things we re-used and bought a couple things in bulk that we have extras of at home.

[quickstepstar]

I bought the supplies through the school. I feel like it was ~$35 or so per kid.

Now I am curious to see your list! What could they possibly ask for?

[ijack]

swigert.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Swigert-K-Girls-List-13-14.pdf

[6fsn]

Our schools sell things all in one box. This year's cost for elementary school was $28.

[cjeanette]

Aug 8, 2013 13:54:59 GMT -5 ijack said:

swigert.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Swigert-K-Girls-List-13-14.pdf

That seems like a lot but may eliminate teachers sending out e-mails in Dec asking for more of something.

Here is our list, much smaller -
marsh.smsd.org/Documents/School%20Supply%20List%20for%202013-2014.pdf

[hocus2]

We don't have them yet since the kids are too young, but I checked for our zoned school and the K school list is over $100. It generally goes down a bit but is still high for all of the K-5 years.

[stephm0188]

Over $100.

[rootbeerfloat]

Aug 8, 2013 13:54:59 GMT -5 ijack said:

swigert.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Swigert-K-Girls-List-13-14.pdf

Except for the reams of paper and sheet protectors, it looks pretty much like ours.

[DarcyLongfellow]

$0. But DD is in preschool. We are required to pay a supply/matetials fee when we registered for the year (back in February), though. I think it was $50.

[dancingirl21]

Woah, ijack. I agree, that list seems crazy! My kid is 4 weeks old, so I have nothing to compare this to other than my school lists from many years ago, but that seems like a lot to ask of parents. What do families do that can't afford all that?

[cjeanette]

Aug 8, 2013 14:06:53 GMT -5 rootbeerfloat said:

Aug 8, 2013 13:54:59 GMT -5 ijack said:

swigert.dpsk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Swigert-K-Girls-List-13-14.pdf

Except for the reams of paper and sheet protectors, it looks pretty much like ours.

I think the reams of paper is smart.  One less thing the school has to cover in their budget.

[quickstepstar]

That is an intense list! I don't even know what 1/2 of those things are!

[barefootcontessa]

wow at the $100+. is this a public or private school?

[barefootcontessa]

wow at the $100+. is this a public or private school?

[Deleted]

My kids are in grades 1 & 3 so were able to re-use some items from last year. If we purchased everything on the list (and bought through the school) it would have been $110 for my grade 1 kid and $73 for my grade 3 kid.

(I actually spent $155 total for both of them because of re-using things but don't know how that breaks down).

[Deleted]

Aug 8, 2013 14:17:00 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

wow at the $100+. is this a public or private school?

My grade 1 kid would be $110 if I bought it all through the school. Public school. 

[ijack]

public school. To buy the kit it was $103 (don't know why it says $86 there) and I spent $82 with sales and a target 5% discount (I only went to target and only bought name brand, except for the paper). I kind of feel like they know that parents in our neighborhood will pay, so why not ask them for everything. One of the 6th grade schools in our neighborhood has a kit that costs $156 and that doesn't even count the calculator they're required to buy. WTF?
Here is the list from the school that is considered the best in our district - their kit was $40. I don't get why most other schools require 12-24 pencils and ours requires 72. WHY DOES MY KID NEED 72 pencils???

1 Binder - Durable - View - .5 Inch - White - Avery

1 Colored Pencils - Crayola - 12 Ct

1 Colored Pencils - Crayola - Twistables - 12 Ct

1 Folder - Plastic Pocket & Prong - Purple

1 Glue - Elmers - School Glue Bottle - Clear - 5 oz

2 Glue - Elmers - Washable Stick - Purple - .21 oz - 06 Pk

1 Markers - Washable - Crayola - Classic - 8 Ct - Thick

1 Markers - Washable - Crayola - Classic - 8 Ct - Thin

1 Paint - Watercolor - Crayola - 8 Oval - Washable

2 Pencil - Ticonderoga - Sharpened - No 2 - 12 Pk

1 Tissue - Kleenex - 100 Ct

1 Wipes - Disinfectant - Clorox - 35 Ct

1 Zipper Bags - Gallon - Glad - 20 Ct

[ijack]

Aug 8, 2013 14:19:42 GMT -5 @gingersb said:

My kids are in grades 1 & 3 so were able to re-use some items from last year. If we purchased everything on the list (and bought through the school) it would have been $110 for my grade 1 kid and $73 for my grade 3 kid.

(I actually spent $155 total for both of them because of re-using things but don't know how that breaks down).

how do you reuse stuff? We hand all our stuff over at the beginning of the year, so even if there were extras there isn't stuff to reuse.

[Deleted]

Aug 8, 2013 14:29:20 GMT -5 ijack said:

Aug 8, 2013 14:19:42 GMT -5 @gingersb said:

My kids are in grades 1 & 3 so were able to re-use some items from last year. If we purchased everything on the list (and bought through the school) it would have been $110 for my grade 1 kid and $73 for my grade 3 kid.

(I actually spent $155 total for both of them because of re-using things but don't know how that breaks down).

how do you reuse stuff? We hand all our stuff over at the beginning of the year, so even if there were extras there isn't stuff to reuse.

They send home some of the unused stuff at the end of the year, as it's all labeled with the kid's name. We re-used pencil boxes, one pair of scissors, ruler, pencil sharpener. We also didn't have to buy many glue sticks and erasers (a bunch were sent home unused). I also did't buy the ziploc bags, I just took them out of my own kitchen so I guess I should add a couple bucks to my actual spend for that. 

Here's my grade 1's list:
12 duotang (2 of each red, green,yellow,blue,orange,purple)
3 Hilroy Interlined exercise book
2 Hilroy 1/2 blank 1/2 lined exercise book
2 Hilroy 30 page coil scrapbook
15 sharpened HB pencils
2 whiteboard markers, chisel tip, black
2 crayola 24 wax crayons
2 crayola 24 mini twistable crayons
1 crayola 24 washable fine tipped markers
2 Mr Sketch 12 scented markers
5 Staedtler white erasers
1 legal sized plastic recloseable envelope
6 UHU 21 gram glue sticks
1 plastic pencil box
2 Fiskars pointed childrens scissors
1 box of 40 Band-Aids
1 pencil sharpener with lid
1 facial tissue, 250 sheets
1 box of 20 medium Ziploc bags

[rootbeerfloat]

Ours sends stuff home at the end of the year, too. We don't do communal supplies. Half his bottles of glue were untouched.

[Mrs.Syntax]

DD's preschool has a $40 supply fee tacked on to the tuition. The school buys everything. It's kinda nice!

[cjeanette]

Your kid will need all of those pencils. Last year starting in Nov and until the end of the year C's teacher was constantly asking for people to send in more pencils. So it would have made it easier on her just to ask us to send more at the beginning.

[savan]

I'd guess $35ish. We bought school supplies with a couple of other items at Target. The total bill for everything was only $53.

[redheadk]

Young writers are really hard in their pencils. The number of pencils seem reasonable to me. The schools asking for fewer pencils will just be asking for more midway through the year when they're more expensive. The rest if the list seems crazy. Dial soap? Wtf?

That was the one school supply I refused to buy for my kids. I bought literally everything else they needed, from their composition book to glue sticks in bulk to scissors, markers, paper, and crayons. They could bring their own pencils. Even still, I didn't spend more than $300 for everything. I bought supplies at Walmart. I hate wm but it was the cheapest.

[bugandbibs]

That list is actually smaller than J's school. I shop sales and clearances all year long. I try to buy ahead for the next year based on the next grade's list for this year. I will admit to taking a ream of paper from work instead of buying it. I never use the case they send me every year.