First day of school--- only cost me $87 for supplies and $113 for new clothes!

Today is the start of the new school year for my daughters...
that meant last night the wife and I had to go pick up a few last minute items..

You know the standard stuff... pencils, paper folders hand sanitizer, tissue, rulers, first day snacks for the whole class X 2 because I have one in fourth and one second grader....

$87 wasn't to bad I guess... but their girls and had to have new school outfits, with matching hats and purses and assorted bling and bobbles...
Now my job is to just push the cart and follow the ladies... Later I'll get to swipe my debit card when we check out.
Of course while the wife is picking out little girl underwear, I'm looking around to for an opportunity to sneak over to the sporting goods department, or maybe automotive, ya know, price me a set of new tires for my truck.

"MOM... Daddy's trying to escape, again!"

Would have made it too, if not for the wife's little snitches... Totally narc me out... and why?

"Daddy, look how cute this dress is!"

So I smile, pat her head, and push the cart... Hey that's my job.

On the up side... the kids are back in school... Woo-Hoo

a reply to: HardCorps

I got another week and a half before either of mine go back to school.

Wait till their in college..."Hey, my scholarship/grant/loan didn't cover a couple of books. I don't think they're that expensive. One's $300. The other one is way cheaper...its only $220"

"Hey dad, my rent needs to be paid for this month."

"Your child is starving"

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: HardCorps

I got another week and a half before either of mine go back to school.

Wait till their in college..."Hey, my scholarship/grant/loan didn't cover a couple of books. I don't think they're that expensive. One's $300. The other one is way cheaper...its only $220"

"Hey dad, my rent needs to be paid for this month."

"Your child is starving"

Looking for another child? lol. I have to pay for all my stuff myself; and since I am frugal and don't believe in loans for school, or taking money from the government, I pay for all that myself too xD. I do, however, live at home so the rent thing is out the question xD.

I'd say you did pretty darn good - and got off easy!
The bigger they get, the more they cost. Better start a 'school fund' savings account for the future years!

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Trust me I know...
I'm taking part-time grad school classes...

this summer I had to have the “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” by Edward Gibbon (1737-1794).

Six volumes. Three thousand pages. A million and a quarter words. Accounting
for fourteen hundred years (from "the Age of the Antonines," in the first century
A . D . , to the stirrings of the Renaissance) in the lives of three continents, Britain
to Palestine, including both halves of the Empire and all the nations that border
on it, with special attention to the rise of Christianity and of Islam and to
the eventual "fall" of Rome into the "superstitious" Middle Ages. Considered the
greatest history ever written in the English language!

New the set is $1,823.63!
I got mine used from Amazon for $60

FYI I expected it to be yet another painfully boring class you just struggle through... But I'm really into theses books...
he's not a bad story teller...

I spent more than that on two pair of ugly jeans.

Where is this Xanadoo ?

a reply to: nugget1

My oldest is already bugging me for a cell phone...

"But all the other girls have one daddy!"

No they don't... well one kid does but he's got one of those mom's who micromanages his life.

a reply to: whyamIhere

Wally World in Cortez Colorado...
look for the racks that say "Clearance"

But don't look for me there... I'll be the guy ducking behind displays as I head for the electronics department.

originally posted by: HardCorps
a reply to: nugget1

My oldest is already bugging me for a cell phone...

"But all the other girls have one daddy!"

No they don't... well one kid does but he's got one of those mom's who micromanages his life.

My 13 year old said Dad they all have an Iphone. I said no way.

That was last year. Every kid I saw was staring at some device.

So, I bought her one...

You got out of it cheap!
I to know the push the cart feeling, we're all in this together.

Your making me kind of miss those days.
Although I was lucky and had boys, they pretty much hatted to shop as much as I do, so it was in and out pretty quick. Although they weren't real happy sometimes about how cheap I was.

Now I have to wait for the grandsons to start school. I will spoil them rotten, more than likely.

a reply to: chiefsmom

It'll be some time before I have to worry about grandkids...
The deal is my daughters cannot date until after I'm dead...

after that their free to see whoever they want with no complaints from dear old dad...

a reply to: chiefsmom

My grand daughter just turned eight, and I love school shopping with her!
This year the amount spent was more than double what I was able to spend getting two kids outfitted for school way back when!

It is nice to be able to do for grand kids what I wasn't able to for my own, and Mom works her butt of making ends meet. I'm here for the 'extras'.

a reply to: wwe9112

Move out in the middle of nowhere, and having to pay rent and other associated expenses to get within driving distance of a university becomes totally relevant.

a reply to: HardCorps

That's funny!

I used to tell people I wasn't going to potty train my girls until they were at least 20 so I wouldn't have to worry about the dating thing.

a reply to: nugget1

It's amazing how you actually have 2 nickels to rub together, after they are gone isn't it? LOL Although my youngest is 21 and working, I still get the, "can I borrow 5 dollars till payday?"

@HC

Yeah dad, good luck with that. One thing I learned, even with boys and just their friends, or girlfriends, I just invited (or made, whatever) them hang out at my house, so I knew what was going on. Most of the time.

Teenagers are sneaky devils.

a reply to: chiefsmom

I'm not worried...
castrating a calf or nasty teen boy... all the same to me.
snip snip and it's done....

I'll make sure to post a hard copy of this to the school bulletin boards too
evil winkz

Bahawhawhawhaw!

I too was able to keep the prices fairly low this year. It's because I rethought how I shopped. See, my kid always hits a growth spurt about 1-2 months after school starts. So when I would by a bunch of new stuff, she'd hit that growing stage and wouldn't be able to wear much of it! So this year I minimized by buying only a few clothing items, and jeans that were a bit long and big, but that had that cinch belt thing on the inside. I did a hem on the jeans so that when she grows taller and they get too short, I can take out the hem and yay they will fit again! Also, I just didn't buy as much, I end up having to buy new things fairly often, so I'll just do smaller quantities more often.

I wish I could hide in the electronics department, lol, but that's Dad's privilege! haha

You got off cheap. I had to go on the last two final shopping torture episodes. It gets expensive, fast. I paid $147 for a pair of shoes for my daughter(15). I still have teeth marks on my tongue from that. She threw a guilt trip on me--is how she pulled that one off, BTW.
I usually make my way to the electronic dept and look at games and stuff. Or, if we're at the mall, I make my way to those massage chairs. I want one of those for home!!! They give an incredible massage. I don't like going shopping unless it's for myself. Selfish, I know.

a reply to: Fylgje

Remember the very first paragraph of my OP?

Today is the start of the new school year for my daughters...
that meant last night the wife and I had to go pick up a few last minute items..

We've been picking up odd's and ends for the last month or so, and I'll have to make more trips once the weather changes and they need winter coats and snow boots... and one of those and that and the other thing I forgot to get on the last trip...

Cheap, hardly... since it never ends...