Back To School Shopping

[OhMissScarlett]

I'm here enjoying my first two free hours in a few months. My son started first grade today and it was no sweat this year. He doesn't seem to care what clothes he has and was very attached to a lot of his stuff from last year, so it was a cheap shopping year for me. I feel lucky for now, but I know it won't last! So, tell me about your back to school shopping woes. Does it get worse the older the kids get? Are girls really worse than boys? Do some of you have little kids who are already label concerned? LOL. Tell me what to expect.

 

[BlackShanglan]

There we go. That was the only item on my list - "kiss from Miss Scarlett."

 

[Trombonus]

Every semester I have to be very careful about the books I buy. They're so expensive I can never afford to buy all of them. Sometimes I judge it correctly, and sometimes I miss completely and have to buy one I thought I wouldn't need, or get stuck with one I thought I did but never actually used.

 

[Guest]

Every semester I have to be very careful about the books I buy. They're so expensive I can never afford to buy all of them. Sometimes I judge it correctly, and sometimes I miss completely and have to buy one I thought I wouldn't need, or get stuck with one I thought I did but never actually used.

Books for college are one of the greatest scams of our time.

Publishers making minor changes from one edition to the next, and then inducing professors to require only the latest version, destroying the market then for used books and the savings students could benefit from.

Professors writing their own textbooks, and forcing their students to purchase them when standard texts exist that do as good, or better a job.

There is an open-source textbook movement out there. I hope it succeeds.

 

[sophia jane]

Every semester I have to be very careful about the books I buy. They're so expensive I can never afford to buy all of them. Sometimes I judge it correctly, and sometimes I miss completely and have to buy one I thought I wouldn't need, or get stuck with one I thought I did but never actually used.

I buy almost all of my books from Half.com or ebay or Amazon marketplace. It's impossible to buy them all new from the bookstore.

 

[Trombonus]

Books for college are one of the greatest scams of our time.

Publishers making minor changes from one edition to the next, and then inducing professors to require only the latest version, destroying the market then for used books and the savings students could benefit from.

Professors writing their own textbooks, and forcing their students to purchase them when standard texts exist that do as good, or better a job.

There is an open-source textbook movement out there. I hope it succeeds.

I lucked out this summer. I passed on a $100+ book and it turned out that I would have never used it. I also passed on a less expensive book that I did end up needing, but I lucked out again when I found that the library had an online copy of the book I could use FOR FREE! I'll always check the ebrary first to see if they have the books I need there from now on. I did buy a book that I never used (Still in it's plastic wrapping even) but I have a feeling I will since it's required reading for other classes this year.

 

[sophia jane]

I'm here enjoying my first two free hours in a few months. My son started first grade today and it was no sweat this year. He doesn't seem to care what clothes he has and was very attached to a lot of his stuff from last year, so it was a cheap shopping year for me. I feel lucky for now, but I know it won't last! So, tell me about your back to school shopping woes. Does it get worse the older the kids get? Are girls really worse than boys? Do some of you have little kids who are already label concerned? LOL. Tell me what to expect.

I have two kids going to school full time this year. Here's the round-up of expenses:
school fees for two: $110
school supplies for two: about $150
shoes for three (non-school age kid still needs shoes): $50
fall clothes and jackets for three: $700

I could have gotten away with less money on the clothes, but I had it to spare for once and I wanted the kids to have enough to get through. Too bad I still have to buy coats and boots!

 

[galaxygoddess]

I wasn't picky. I wore the same set of clothes almost all of my high school life and didn't give a crap what anyone thought.


My brother and my sister drive my mom nuts. More so my brother than my sister.

My sister wanted the latest make up, my brother wanted the coolest everything. He wanted to fit in everywhere.

Of course, until my brother was about 20 or so, he didn't do good at fitting in anywhere because of his nasty personality problems. Of course he blamed it on mom not getting him the best of clothes, but what can you do? *sigh

At least he grew up and realised HE was the problem and that in the long run, people in any school don't matter a hill of beans to real life.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Books for college are one of the greatest scams of our time.

Publishers making minor changes from one edition to the next, and then inducing professors to require only the latest version, destroying the market then for used books and the savings students could benefit from.

Professors writing their own textbooks, and forcing their students to purchase them when standard texts exist that do as good, or better a job.

There is an open-source textbook movement out there. I hope it succeeds.

Thank goodness, many universities do now at least require a formal review process before a professor can assign a text that s/he will benefit from financially. Whenever there's money involved, I think that a transparent and objectively monitored process is best for everyone. Personally, in situations in which it's possible for personal bias to play a role, I'm happier with an independent observer or committee. It spares me some of the inevitable double-double-double-thinking that I end up coiled in while trying to neither be swayed by my own benefit nor reject the right decision because it does incidentally benefit me.

But the revised editions - ah! I have friends who are college professors, and I think that for the most part they hate revisions as much as you do. Some of them find that the new editions have removed things that they prized and always used; all of them now have syllabi and reading lists that have to be re-paginated, and brand new blank copies of texts to deal with instead of the old ones in which they'd made all manner of useful notes and highlighting for themselves. I've heard a fair bit of grumbling from them on the topic, but at least at the local university, they seem to be at the mercy of the book suppliers. I recall one spending a frantic week pulling her hair out when she'd requested the edition she was familiar with, built her whole semester's reading lists and lesson plans around it, and then found the new edition (which had come out over the summer) shipped to the bookstore, missing several texts she'd planned to use and paginated completely differently to the reading lists she'd had printed. She was, shall we say, considerably distressed.

I suspect that at the bottom of it is some cabal between the textbook manufacturers and the companies that source books to university book stores, but who knows.

 

[cloudy]

The school where my son goes is great as far as supplies go. Most schools put out this list of necessary supplies, and parents have to go pick the stuff up, costing a ton.

His school asks for a $45 supply fee, payable in installments, if necessary, and it covers all his supplies for the year: folders, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, everything.

As far as clothes go, its still so hot here that I'm not buying fall clothes until he needs them - probably around October. If I bought them now, they'd be too small when it was cool enough to wear them.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

There we go. That was the only item on my list - "kiss from Miss Scarlett."

awww! *smoochies*

Hey, you got off cheap.

 

[BlackShanglan]

His school asks for a $45 supply fee, payable in installments, if necessary, and it covers all his supplies for the year: folders, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, everything.

Ah, that's nice for everyone. Then teachers don't have to worry about what to do when small children lose supplies or forget them at home or what have you, and parents don't have to try hold dress inspection every morning to make sure that they have them. Handy.

 

[BlackShanglan]

awww! *smoochies*

Hey, you got off cheap.

Inexpensive, perhaps, my dear, but I would never call you cheap.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

The school where my son goes is great as far as supplies go. Most schools put out this list of necessary supplies, and parents have to go pick the stuff up, costing a ton.

His school asks for a $45 supply fee, payable in installments, if necessary, and it covers all his supplies for the year: folders, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, everything.

As far as clothes go, its still so hot here that I'm not buying fall clothes until he needs them - probably around October. If I bought them now, they'd be too small when it was cool enough to wear them.

Wow, I've never heard of any school doing that with the supply fee. That's a pretty good idea, especially for busy parents.

I only bought two pairs of pants for the same reason. His legs always grow and then I end up buying more jeans by the time Christmas rolls around anyway.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I wasn't picky. I wore the same set of clothes almost all of my high school life and didn't give a crap what anyone thought.

Same here. My parents really lucked out, I think. I wanted all my clothes to be black and have holes in them, so I just shopped at the Salvation Army drop box.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Of course, until my brother was about 20 or so, he didn't do good at fitting in anywhere because of his nasty personality problems. Of course he blamed it on mom not getting him the best of clothes, but what can you do? *sigh

At least he grew up and realised HE was the problem and that in the long run, people in any school don't matter a hill of beans to real life.

Thank goodness he did make that realization. But your post made me laugh, because it reminded me of a moment from my last place of employment. I was working with the new intake, getting a batch of them familiar with their positions and their responsibilities. We did some things as a group, and then I spent a little time with each individually. One young lady remarked, "Wow, this is great! I was nervous because I've always had problems with supervisors in the past, but you're really easy to work with."

*wince* What were the odds that every other supervisor she'd worked with in her life was an idiot, and that I just happened to be the divine figure to save her from them? Sure enough, she didn't last two months. It's terrible what bad luck you can have with supervisors when you are thoroughly unwilling to work.

 

[galaxygoddess]

Ahhhh the endless "what is WRONG with him?" and "ewww he's your brother? don't talk to me ever again." wait, what?

It took years, and him living on his own before he finally just "clicked" and suddenly realised "Wait, I'm doing something wrong here!"

It's kinda funny. My brother now and just a few years ago, are entirely different people. Him from childhood and him now? you'd swear it wasn't the same person.
1000% different.

Now, he's actually tolerable to be around! AMG!

I wish more people would realise "hey, it's not them, it's me!"

 

[BlackShanglan]

I wish more people would realise "hey, it's not them, it's me!"

Amen. It's difficult, but I keep trying to remind myself that the more problems I have, the less likely it becomes, in terms of probability, that the common factor (me) is not the source.

 

[Stella_Omega]

What were the odds that every other supervisor she'd worked with in her life was an idiot...

My 18YO daughter is like this-- Every teacher she's ever had is an asshole or stupid. It's odd and treue that she did have an unusual number of asshole teachers during primary school, but for the most part her middle and highschool teachers were pretty decent. She can't see that. She rebuffs overtures of friendship from so many people who have nothing but good will towards her.

I really don't know how to get it through to her that it's her own dear self that's the problem, but I must assume that she'll be fired from her first five to ten jobs...

 

[Guest]

"hey, it's not them, it's me!"

You should go to Cafe Press and setup a line of items with that line.

You won't sell a lot, but your customers will be an especially self-aware group.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Off for part 2 of Back to School Hell.

 

[BlackShanglan]

You should go to Cafe Press and setup a line of items with that line.

You won't sell a lot, but your customers will be an especially self-aware group.

I like this idea. I've always been in favor of the truly swinish labelling themselves; I strongly support the right to free speech and free expression because there's nothing as swift and simple as a swastika or a racial caricature to let everyone who encounters that person know that there is absolutely no point in approaching. But why not let the people who have worked out a few key social and maturation issues label themselves as well? They deserve to be able to find each other.

 

[CeriseNoire]

Well, I just spent $300 for my college textbooks, which except for one cover concepts I already know.

Bought 150 folders, but I managed to get most during Staples' 1 cent, 3 cents and 5 cents sales.

Got 25 binders and composition notebooks to cover those kids who can't afford it.

10 packs of markers.

A new set of dry erase markers.

A class set of novels.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I like this idea. I've always been in favor of the truly swinish labelling themselves; I strongly support the right to free speech and free expression because there's nothing as swift and simple as a swastika or a racial caricature to let everyone who encounters that person know that there is absolutely no point in approaching. But why not let the people who have worked out a few key social and maturation issues label themselves as well? They deserve to be able to find each other.

That's brilliant. Where can I get my "Asshats Anonymous" lapel pin?

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Off for part 2 of Back to School Hell.

*pats you*

Don't forget my Hello Kitty backpack.