What are your school costs...

About how much $ would you say that you spend per year to cover costs your child has at his/her school. What are those expenses? Just curious.

 

2 kids...both in middle school(I am showing totals for both)

$100-$150 in school supplies

$100 a month for school lunches

pictures, field trips, clubs, book fairs, football games, dances, basketball games, extra stuff sent for class for projects can run another $150-$200

 

Do you mean supplies? Field trips? Lunches? Misc. crap they are always sending notes home for?

I have no idea, it's a lot, and I'm scared to add it all up. Add in Scouts, Soccer, etc and my wallet is empty.

 

My wallet was empty before addin' all that other stuff!

 

TOO FREAKING MUCH!!

 

Just school related expenses, not scouts or any activity that is not related to them going to school.

Yes, DO add in supplies, field trips, lunch, ANY extras that you have to send $ for.

If you can't be specific, make a ball park guess. Any ages from elementary up through high school.

 

I'm trying to prove a point to someone who thinks that public school means your kids go to school for FREE - no expense to the parents. I figured you were just the folks to help me do that.

 

that's funny.....

 

Do what?? They think the parents don't shell out on a regular basis????

I really don't know, but probably $100 on supplies at the beginning of the year, I probably donate at least another $50 to the classroom for misc. "wish list" stuff the teachers need. Each field trip is anywhere from $5 to $20 or so. Then there are the teacher gifts at holidays and the teacher appreciation days. I spend about $20 for each of those. Last year we had to buy the recorder, don't remember how much that was (goofy musical instrument). I could keep going.................................

 

If you have to prove that to them, they are FOOLS to begin with!! LOL

 

Tell them that may of been Obama's speech on the campaign trail... Free education for all... :jester::jester:

 

LMAO!!

 

My daughter is a rising senior this year and so far (even though school hasn't started) we are having to shell out:

Alive at 25 class (required for her to get a parking permit this year) $25
Parking pass for the year - $75
Sitting fee (and we picked the cheapest) for senior pic - $15

Still left to buy:
Supplies - $50
Bookbag - $30 (at least)
Clothes - $100
Cap & Gown
Graduation announcements, etc.
Yearbook -$75

and so on, and so on.

 

Michelle,
Thanks for your response. Do you anticipate other expenses throughout the year? What about lunch?

 

She doesn't usually eat lunch at school but on the rare ocassion that she does it is usually around $4.

I'm sure there will be lots of other expenses this year. I'm almost afraid to ask what they are. Folks have told me to get my wallet ready cause this is the most expensive year of high school.

 

Senior year for mine...

Parking $75
Yearbook pictures around $200
Senior Yearbook page $400
Senior pictures $1500
Yearbook $75
Senior night at Disney World $600 (doesn't include spending $)
Winter formal $200 give or take
Prom $1200 including dress, accessories, pictures, etc
Cap and gown, invitations, thank you notes, name cards, etc $300
Cap and gown pictures $200
Graduation video $25
Class projects $100 - $200
Calculator $75
Lunch $20/week
normal school supplies at least $100
booksack $30 - $75
Senior class tshirts $20 maybe
Prom tshirts $20
College applications $50 - $70 for each

give me time, i'm sure i'll come up with more.

 

*

 

Oh, you really don't want to know what we spend on supplies per year--LOL. It's absolutely INSANE so I stopped buying a lot of stuff I know they won't use. I tell the teachers if they run out throughout the year, let me know & I'll get it for them. 1) my kid is NOT going to use tennis balls for the bottom of chairs. That's just stupid. 2) you can't tell me that every single year, every single class destroys 25 pairs of scissors 3) are they really going to copy anything??? I could go on. Pen, pencil, notebooks, folders...period. tired of the "wish list" being sent home every single week as well. I went to public school in NC and so did my husband. We both had more than 25 people in a classroom and no parents complained. We used SOAP (NOT sanitizer) to wash our hands and survived. We used the crappy steel wool feeling papertowels and it got the job done. BTW, when I went to school there were NO tissues. You used the toilet paper or those stupid paper towels. I know budgets are beyond tight but there is no reason to ask for some of the things that teachers ask for. Just the basics. The year before last when I only had 6 in school, my mom came down and purchased all school supplies on the lists & new bookbags(none over $25). Her grand total was near $800!!! That was NO new clothes. My kids really don't have the opportunity for new clothing too often. So that is not even calculated in the costs. Last year, I was not able to get everything on the lists. I just didn't have the money. And wipes? Again, paper towels, soap and water. Hand sanitizer really isn't necessary. I used to work in a hospital and there was less sanitizer there than there is nowadays in the school--LOL. It was wash w/ antibacterial soap at the hospital and that was it. Not sure how it is now. I just think we should not have to buy every trinket known to man either for a "treasure box." Why give anything at all? I'm serious. We went to school and got rewarded for making good grades at the end of the year ONLY. Not every 9 weeks and surely not every week for no tallies. You behaved or else. I guess why I get so aggrevated is b/c I see the supply closets and the excess. My son's classroom last year had a wall of stuff in case they ran out. Some of these teachers should be hired to make hurricane preparedness plans! And now they are getting finicky about the folders. They want the plastic kind which are tons more money. Yes, the paper wears out but I can sure replace it alot cheaper. I bought a package of 20 paper folders last year for .08. Yet, they wanted plastic. URGHH. I sent the paper anyhow and they sent them home w/ plastic. I don't mind giving a little extra but I think the amount required gets more ridiculous each year. Last year, my son's list was 2 pages long. I am not exaggerating. No sense in that. None. I can't wait to see this years list. I now have one that will go to high school and can only imagine what they require. Yikes! So, school costs...way too high! See you at the sales soon.
Stephanie--mom to 7

 

Are you serious!? I'll have to declare chapter 11 by the time mine graduate high school--LOL. Is it truely $1500 for pictures? I'm just stunned by that & hoping it's a misprint here. A typo? Please let it be a typo. And here I was worried about the insurance for driving. apparently, that is not as bad as senior year expenses. Wow is all I can say.

 

Not a typo but you don't HAVE to buy the senior pics. The prices are ridiculous! My boss is gonna take my daughter's for free.