This cartoon reminded me of when my son was in the sixth grade. For his birthday that summer all he wanted was a pair of Nike Air Jordan sneakers. I checked them out and discovered that they were $89 a pair.. we had been spending about $49 on shoes for him. Well, in a moment of weakness I told him that we buy him a pair.. after all I did have a 10% off coupon.The next day we got to the shoe store and discovered that my "boy" needed man-size shoes - that retailed at $129.. yikes! I equivocated a bit but wound up buying the shoes.. thought that dad needed to keep his word to his son even though he choked a bit on it. After that summer we initiated a back-to-school clothing/shoe budget with him.. he never did want the expensive shoes after that.. especially when it meant forgoing other things :)
Do you have any back-to-school stories to share?
well my shoes lasted 5 years when i was in school :)
ReplyDeleteOh my ... don't even ask. Back to school has taken on new meaning for me in recent years. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's very different in this part of the world where all kids, public or private schooled, wear school uniforms.I've never met any kid over the age of 5 or 6 that actually liked their uniform, but parents love them. In the long run you save a lot of money, and school doesn't become a fashion show. I never needed very many every day clothes till I was 18 and started uni, by which time I was paying for my own.
ReplyDeleteI think I am in the beginning stages of empty nest syndrome because your post made me cry and its not sad (well the PRICES are sad).
ReplyDeleteI fondly remember all the back to school shopping for clothes for my son. But my favorite was SCHOOL SUPPLIES. A new box of crayons, pencils, pens...a new glue, ruler, notebook. I loved it.
Now I hand over some cash and tell him he needs to budget it. He bought himself a pair of jeans and two shirts. ONE PAIR OF JEANS AND TWO SHIRTS. Ugh.
I like the idea of a school uniform...some of the outfits kids wear are very distracting in one way or another, but if I were a student I would find a way to make my uniform unique, that was always a big deal to me in those days.
I should be grateful then that my suddenly fashion-conscious 6th grader has gone from a $15 Payless Shoes kid to only a $52 Sketcher kid?
ReplyDeleteHand-me-downs, recycling existing supplies from home and PTA-sponsored supply packs got us by in Texas - plus we could pretty much wear our summer stuff til Christmas. Last year I had to shop with the crowds for the first time. I got all the summer clearance stuff - yea, me! We didn't make it to the end of October. :)
My mom was a thrifty shopper. I didn't get name brand things unless it was on sale at a good price. $20 max on a pair of shoes, and that was expensive for my mom and dad. We weren't poor, it is just they put their money into savings and schooling for my sister and I.
ReplyDeleteMy kids wear uniforms. That is so nice! However, it is still expensive for things. My kids, on the other hand, love this time of year because they get new uniforms and new supplies. It is like having Christmas. I just wish that I could shop without all of the crowds. lol
Great sharing so far..
ReplyDelete..I wish my son's shoes lasted more than a year Rygel.. he was rough on them.
..I can relate Barbara.. those were the good old days!
..I'm guessing that you might be thinking about back to school backpacks Amber?
..seems like Vans and Sketchers were options as my son got older Missy.
..I now like the idea of uniforms Lynne and Heather.. but didn't support the idea when my kids were in school.. but I can't remember why..