I'm not complaining. Well, I am, but let's pretend I'm not, because I appreciate our public schools. Let's say I'm just making observations about being nickel-and-dimed to death this time of year! Granted, people in Manhattan, for example, fight over the chance to pay 40 grand a year for a private preschool, so compared to them, we're talking peanuts. Twelve dollars for art supplies. 24 for P. E. fees. 20 for the uniform. A hundred bucks for a scientific calculator, times two! Each class at the junior high has its own fee. This is after I paid 98 dollars per kid up front and went to every store in town for a wide yet specific variety of binders, pencils, notebooks, folders, pencil pouches and water bottles.
It never ends. $20.00 for the 4th grade journey fee. Eighty for a show choir outfit, 200 for the SBO jacket. I even forked over eight dollars at Sam's Club for 500 Ziploc bags. These are things you don't think about until you're in a buying frenzy because each kid must have a slightly different kind of folder TODAY! Oh, and each teacher wants a year's supply of glue sticks, "class store" items, antibacterial wipes and kleenex. And the PTA wants dues from every adult in your family going back three generations. And you have to contribute to all the fundraisers, too. You can choose a volunteer position or you can check the box that says, "I'm too busy. I would rather give money." That's annoying. How about "I'm too broke? I would rather not give money. I don't think the school needs to purchase that much antibacterial soap. Germs are good for kids." Besides, I've already signed up for every grocery store's educational rewards program and I'm saving all my box tops and milk jug lids. I can't afford every school sweatshirt, every roll of Sally Foster wrapping paper, every tub of cookie dough and every Scholastic book where a portion of the proceeds go to the school. I don't know what the answer is, but I keep hemorrhaging money to the schools because I admire how they do so much with so little, and I care about the kids' education.
When they tell you how much it costs to raise a child, don't believe any of the figures. The answer to, "How much money does it cost to get a child through school" is "All of it."
It never ends. $20.00 for the 4th grade journey fee. Eighty for a show choir outfit, 200 for the SBO jacket. I even forked over eight dollars at Sam's Club for 500 Ziploc bags. These are things you don't think about until you're in a buying frenzy because each kid must have a slightly different kind of folder TODAY! Oh, and each teacher wants a year's supply of glue sticks, "class store" items, antibacterial wipes and kleenex. And the PTA wants dues from every adult in your family going back three generations. And you have to contribute to all the fundraisers, too. You can choose a volunteer position or you can check the box that says, "I'm too busy. I would rather give money." That's annoying. How about "I'm too broke? I would rather not give money. I don't think the school needs to purchase that much antibacterial soap. Germs are good for kids." Besides, I've already signed up for every grocery store's educational rewards program and I'm saving all my box tops and milk jug lids. I can't afford every school sweatshirt, every roll of Sally Foster wrapping paper, every tub of cookie dough and every Scholastic book where a portion of the proceeds go to the school. I don't know what the answer is, but I keep hemorrhaging money to the schools because I admire how they do so much with so little, and I care about the kids' education.
When they tell you how much it costs to raise a child, don't believe any of the figures. The answer to, "How much money does it cost to get a child through school" is "All of it."
4 comments:
I TOTALLY AGREE!!! I am currently annoyed by all the fund raisers they want my kids to participate in so they can buy ipod stations for the kids. Seriously? They already have these high tech boards in place of a chalk board. Ever read 3 Cups of Tea? The kids are fine! They don't need to spend all this time fundraising to earn money for things that are not a necessity.
I know.... Right!
UGH!!! I used to hate the first weeks of school purely for this reason. It meant going home each night with a new list of 'must haves' and the costs for my dad and he made sure we knew he wasn't made out of money. I wish it could be easier!!
A friend told me recently their PTA signed up with a supplier and all you had to do was go to that supplier's website, click your school, your child's grade and voila...you could order the complete package of school supplies for the coming year. Bonus!
It was a wonderful idea until she selected her child's package and an additional $50 popped up for shipping fees! Ummm...nope! Off to Target they went!
Amen, and Amen.
Plus, I *might* have sworn (under my breath, of course) at the junior high for not giving out supply lists when we were there picking up student schedules before school started. It's not like the necessary supplies will miraculously change before the first day of school. So instead of getting 2 or 3 weeks to spread out the shopping, or heaven forbid even find a good deal, several junior high's worth of parents crowd into WalMart and Target all on the same night vying for the same colored pencil set. It might not be Black Friday, but it could so easily be avoided. Junior high has been around for eternity, I'm pretty sure. Why haven't they figured this out by now?!)
Post a Comment