Tomorrow is orientation for Shawn’s new school and Monday is my baby’s first day.  This is a very exciting time for a young boy and his mother who has stayed home to raise him for the past 5 1/2 years.  It is also an extremely expensive time for some of us.  I printed the list of his needs and it went on and on and on.  Ok so it wasn’t that bad but I’m pretty sure if I didn’t sale/coupon shop that list plus his uniform could have bankrupted us.

Hello giant pile of crap required for a little boy to attend Kindergarten and this doesn’t include his uniforms.  I’m taking in some of these things tomorrow well it’s that or I send him with a forklift on the first day.  So I’m going to break down Shawn’s list in dollars and cents and you can ask yourself if sales and coupons are worth it. 

• 4 Dry Erase Markers Free after Office Depot Rebate
• 4 Folders .01 each at Staples
• 48 Sharp Pencils (I’m guessing they plan on stabbing everyone’s eyes out on the first day) I’d say the pencils total may have cost about $4 since I bought Toy Story and Kyle Busch ones the rest were super cheap
• 4 pks of cap erasers .50 each at Target
• 6 boxes of crayons .25 each at Walmart (they asked for 8ct but those were .78 each)
• 1 pair of blunt scissors  .25 (I think) at Staples
• 1 Pencil Box $1.60 at Michaels with coupon
• 3 lg pks of Glue Sticks about .50 each at Staples
• 2 Primary Composition books for .25 each at Target
• 2 Tablets of Primary Writing paper $3.00 each at Staples (not cheap and no dang sale)
• 1 pk of Construction Paper $2 at Staples
• 1 box of Ziploc bags Free at Kmart ages ago
• 2 boxes of tissues Free with coupons
• 1 bottle of Antibacterial Soap Free with coupons
• 1 pk 3x5 white index cards .50 at Staples
• 2 reams of Copy Paper .01 each at Staples
• 3 pks of Baby Wipes Free with coupons

This total just under $20 for all that except the backpack, lunchbox and thermos.  Those were obviously more expensive the backpack was $15 and the lunchbox was free and the 2 Thermos Funtainers were $12 each.  I’m looking at the containers as an investment since I won’t be required to buy juiceboxes (unless they are crazy cheap) and I can send Shawn to school with fruit (that’ll stay cold) and hot lunches on occasion.  So do you think shopping the sales for the past month and using my coupons was worth it, how much did you spend on back to school??  I’d love to hear how you did.

By the way I’m not sending all of this stuff with him, I don’t think he needs 48 pencils or 12 glue sticks on the first day of school.  So the things that obviously aren’t needed for the community pile aren’t going to end up there just so I can go back out in a month or two and buy more pencils and glue sticks.  LOL