Do you buy the school supply kits through the school?

[Anonymous]

They are SO expensive? $50-$60 for school supplies for an elementary school kid? I get the identical (name brand) items for my kid over the summer for about $20-$22. I don't get it...and they are not a money maker for the school. Are most people buying them through the vendor for convenience, notwithstanding the cost?

[Anonymous]

I did last year for convenience and because it's a fundraiser for the school.
But then in August the school sent a list of additional items needed that weren't in the pre-ordered box.
So I had to run out and buy those anyway.
Because of that, I may skip it this year. You're right that the school boxes are more expensive than buying on your own.

[Anonymous]

It is like school pictures. They are expensive, but they are a fundraiser and convenient.

[Anonymous]

My kids and I truly enjoy doing it ourselves. It is fun for us. As a bonus it usually saves $10/kid.

[Anonymous]

We do the kits. I don't like shopping for school supplies.

[Anonymous]

I'm a working mom. It saves me time to buy the kits. Time is money. I'm happy.

[Anonymous]

I didn't use to - as you sid, you can get the stuff cheaper, especially if you watch the sales and buy things over weeks, when different items go on super cheap sale.

I like shopping. But it just got too stressful, and the kits were so easy, and I didn't have to worry if Target was out of orange folders, but had every other color so I had to go to another Target, etc etc. And I've reached the point where an extra $20 is worth my time. So it's kits all the way.

[Anonymous]

We bought the kit, but not the backpack (I buy them on sale elsewhere and they last more than 1 year). I thought I would enjoy supply shopping but trying to run around to different stores to get the exact matches to the list was a waste of time. The kit was convenient and freed us up to do something fun instead of running errands.

[Anonymous]

Our school doesn't actually make any money off of them - it's a pass-through item on our budget. We actually end up shelling out for kits for some of the kids whose parents can't afford it, so it's a good way to make sure all kids have the same supplies.

I miss shopping for school supplies, though! We usually do a backpack program where we buy supplies for a less-well-off kid in a DC school so we can have the fun of buying cute folders and pencil boxes and fun little extras.

[Anonymous]

We did it once ourselves and the following year we just bought the box. It turned out to be the same price either way.

[Anonymous]

Hell no. I can buy the supplies for almost half of what it costs to buy what's in those kits. And my kids love back to school shopping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did it once ourselves and the following year we just bought the box. It turned out to be the same price either way.

Where do you shop? No way is it the same price either way!?!?

[Anonymous]

Our school's website says it is not a money maker for the school. The kits bring zero money for us. I refuse to spend $50-$60 for these kits that are essentially $20 worth of school supplies. I could spend $785 for my two kids for the kits while they are in elementary school for the kits OR $280 for the school supplies while they are in elementary school. During the really good sales in the summer, I stock up so they have extras so when they run out they have plenty to bring in when they need it when their supplies are low during the year. One of my kid's teachers just sent out a note that she needed composition books. I sent several in for the class because I got them for $.50 each over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Our school's website says it is not a money maker for the school. The kits bring zero money for us. I refuse to spend $50-$60 for these kits that are essentially $20 worth of school supplies. I could spend $785 for my two kids for the kits while they are in elementary school for the kits OR $280 for the school supplies while they are in elementary school. During the really good sales in the summer, I stock up so they have extras so when they run out they have plenty to bring in when they need it when their supplies are low during the year. One of my kid's teachers just sent out a note that she needed composition books. I sent several in for the class because I got them for $.50 each over the summer.

[Anonymous]

I bought them once or twice. A few times I did a price comparison and it is definitely way overpriced. Our school earns some money but very little. Sometimes I want to substitute a different version of an item (for example, my son uses special pencils and paper). I'm at Target several times a month anyway, so it's not a big deal to shop myself.