Outfitting Your Kids for School -- and Fundraisers, Too

Have I been sleeping in a cave for 100 years? Sure feels like it.

I just read that Americans’ back-to-school sales could hit a record $100 billion this year to outfit youngsters for a new school year, even if kids stay home. And by outfitted, I mean with all the proper electronic gear, shoes with all the bells and whistles (like a pair of those sneakers with little wheels embedded in the soles), backpacks and, of course, the ever-popular school supplies.

Yikes! That’s a whole lotta money.

Granted, I don’t have school-aged children anymore, but come on! Kids in kindergarten through 12th grade will spend an average of $790, up from $697 last year, while families with college-aged kids are forecast to spend an average of $1,060, up from $977 in 2019. As a result, total back-toschool and college spending is projected to reach $101.6 billion, topping last year’s $80.7 billion and crossing the $100 billion mark for the first time, according to the National Retail Federation.

Look, I’m open to being proven wrong, but is this anywhere close to reasonable? Perhaps, if you felt you had to purchase an entire school year’s worth of pencils, pens, crayons, paper, notebooks, binders, calculators, printer cartridges, shoes, sneakers, jeans, slacks, sweaters, blouses, shirts, socks and undies. But I find that to be a little ridiculous in that kids do grow, and styles do change -- and, quite frankly, who wants to do all that laundry?

Spreading the cost over the school year seems more reasonable to me. Unless it’s notebooks, pens and paper. Those are so cheap at the start of a new school year at office supply stores that you would have been smart to stock up for the entire year.

So, am I missing something here? I’d love to go head-on with any school-aged family to prove to them that I could get the kids looking mighty fine with all the stuff they need in their backpacks for a lot less than that published per-child average.

While we’re on the subject of school, let’s throw fundraisers into the discussion.

Every year at about this time, I get a flood of messages that are some variation of: “I am so sick of my kids bringing home catalogs full of cheap, overpriced stuff that the school expects us to sell. How can we deal with this? I’d love some advice and insight on how other parents do it.”

I remember those days. Of course, I wanted my kids to win all the prizes for being the best little fundraisers, which multiplied the pressure we already felt from the school and Little League. I pity all of my co-workers, neighbors, relatives and friends who got caught up in my web of obligation.

Personally, I’m married to a guy who is a big old softy when it comes to children bearing boxes of anything that they’re selling to raise money for their schools and teams. I think we still have the World’s Finest chocolate bars left in the freezer from last season. And probably a tub or two of cookie dough in the freezer, too. Oh, and gift wrap and candles.

Now that I think about it, maybe I haven’t moved beyond the fundraiser pressure cooker season of my life after all.

So, how do you deal with fundraisers? I can’t think of a better place to unload, share, question or even plead your case for your particular fundraiser of choice than by sending me a message. I’m easy to find here: https://EverydayCheapskate.com/contact. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Would you like more information? Go to Everyday-Cheapskate.com for links and resources for recommended products and services in this column. Mary invites questions, comments and tips at EverydayCheapskate.com, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a lifestyle blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”