New backpack each year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We always got new backpacks as kids. They were generally pretty beaten up by the end of the year. Buying a new one was part of the fun of back to school. And you're all acting all high and mighty about throwing out a backpack every year, but come on -- the demographic on this forum buys more useless shit, throws the most opulent parties with so much junk that gets throw out daily.... a backpack every year is nothing relative to all the junk you are all producing.

That said, my son has been using the same backpack for 3 years of preschool. It is in horrible shape right now so we'll be buying a new one for K, and I look forward to new ones in future years!

Exactly. Some of you are FoS. Like... "Oh, you buy you kid a new bookbag very year?! Oh, the horror". Cut the crap. I agree with PP- its part of the fun of back to school.

This. People on this site buy so much conspicuous consumption stuff for their kids so long as it equates with wealth. Like, full wardrobes of cute clothes, expensive and totally unnecessary baby gear and about a million other useless things. The only reason they are getting high and mighty about backpacks is because poor kids are known to get new, cheap character bags every year. The anti-new-bag sentiment on here has nothing to do with wastefulness and everything to do with turning up your nose at the poor.

[Anonymous]

Growing up I always had a new, cheap backpack every year (probably a character-type backpack from Walmart) and wanted a nice LL Bean type backpack like some of my classmates had. My DD has a Nice LL bean back pack which I have made her keep for a few years and all she wants is a cheap character backpack she could replace every year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We always got new backpacks as kids. They were generally pretty beaten up by the end of the year. Buying a new one was part of the fun of back to school. And you're all acting all high and mighty about throwing out a backpack every year, but come on -- the demographic on this forum buys more useless shit, throws the most opulent parties with so much junk that gets throw out daily.... a backpack every year is nothing relative to all the junk you are all producing.

That said, my son has been using the same backpack for 3 years of preschool. It is in horrible shape right now so we'll be buying a new one for K, and I look forward to new ones in future years!

Exactly. Some of you are FoS. Like... "Oh, you buy you kid a new bookbag very year?! Oh, the horror". Cut the crap. I agree with PP- its part of the fun of back to school.

This. People on this site buy so much conspicuous consumption stuff for their kids so long as it equates with wealth. Like, full wardrobes of cute clothes, expensive and totally unnecessary baby gear and about a million other useless things. The only reason they are getting high and mighty about backpacks is because poor kids are known to get new, cheap character bags every year. The anti-new-bag sentiment on here has nothing to do with wastefulness and everything to do with turning up your nose at the poor.

Young kids like character backpacks. Mine likes his character - Toys R Us has a backpack deal where you get a free lunch box so a backpack and lunch box of his choice was under $20 - its lasted two years and we could get another (it is fabric, not plastic). We have a nice Adidas one but it was way to big. This year he may use that one. Its not about being poor or wasteful. People do the expensive ones for status. I don't let mine wear their expensive stuff to school as it gets ruined. Mine has a North Face coat, but he wears his Kmart one to school and his North Face not in school. I got it for $20 - not everything is also as it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up I always had a new, cheap backpack every year (probably a character-type backpack from Walmart) and wanted a nice LL Bean type backpack like some of my classmates had. My DD has a Nice LL bean back pack which I have made her keep for a few years and all she wants is a cheap character backpack she could replace every year!

Its about her, not you. Why force her to have the backpack you wanted and didn't get? You let her get character for a few years till she wants a nice one. Toy R Us has a backpack/lunch box deal.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it makes sense to buy expensive backpacks for little kids because every year they are into something different. They don't want a 'baby' backpack later in ES - a baby backpack is whatever they used to carry in a previous grade.

It's fun to buy new stuff for a new school year. My kids don't always need a new pair of shoes, but they always get a new pair at the beginning of the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up I always had a new, cheap backpack every year (probably a character-type backpack from Walmart) and wanted a nice LL Bean type backpack like some of my classmates had. My DD has a Nice LL bean back pack which I have made her keep for a few years and all she wants is a cheap character backpack she could replace every year!

That's a mistake. I'll bet DC will hate LL Bean for the rest of her life. Stop living vicariously. Buy her the one she loves. You can use the frumpy LL Bean backpack as a mom sack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up I always had a new, cheap backpack every year (probably a character-type backpack from Walmart) and wanted a nice LL Bean type backpack like some of my classmates had. My DD has a Nice LL bean back pack which I have made her keep for a few years and all she wants is a cheap character backpack she could replace every year!

She's only little once. If she wants a character backpack, let her have one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up I always had a new, cheap backpack every year (probably a character-type backpack from Walmart) and wanted a nice LL Bean type backpack like some of my classmates had. My DD has a Nice LL bean back pack which I have made her keep for a few years and all she wants is a cheap character backpack she could replace every year!

Isn't it ironic! Your daughter wants what you had and didn't like, and you wanted what she has and doesn't like. The grass is always greener. Get her the bag. They are $9.98 at Walmart.

[Anonymous]

I have two girls ages 6 and 9. Neither has ever asked me for a character backpack despite both of them loving princesses at various ages and being allowed plenty of screen time. We are going on year 4 of their monogrammed PBK backpacks and lunch boxes. I am amazed they lasted this long but they have! I am perfectly willing to replace them at this point (with either new PBK or LLBean) and would do so if either child remotely expressed interest in a new bag pack. Until then I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two girls ages 6 and 9. Neither has ever asked me for a character backpack despite both of them loving princesses at various ages and being allowed plenty of screen time. We are going on year 4 of their monogrammed PBK backpacks and lunch boxes. I am amazed they lasted this long but they have! I am perfectly willing to replace them at this point (with either new PBK or LLBean) and would do so if either child remotely expressed interest in a new bag pack. Until then I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

Because your 6yo requested going to PBJK for backpacks, riiight. You drove them there and allowed hem to select from the bags at PBK, leaving the Target options off the table. If only us peasants could be as classy as thou.

[Anonymous]

I am still using my LLBean backpack fron 1986. My kids have LLBean backpacks. They use them until they outgrow them. We love our LLBean backpacks.

[Anonymous]

I get my dc one for grades K-2, one for grades 3-5, one for middle and high school, and one for college. Actually, only one child had two backpacks for elementary school. The other two were happy with one backpack throughout elementary.

[Anonymous]

I get my kid a new backpack every year- whatever she is into that year. That's been everything from Monster High to a no-character brand name backpack. This is partly so that she gets excited for the school year, and partly to repel snobby kids who will misidentify her as poor.

[Anonymous]

Anyone like lands end?

[Anonymous]

My kids aren't into material things ... seriously. So, no, they don't care if they have a new backpack ... not one bit. They actually don't want to be bothered with school shopping for anything.

If you think getting a new backpack is all that -- fine. But, I think it's strange to buy a new ______ when you already have one that works. I also think it is wasteful (and trashing our planet) to buy 10 cheap backpacks, when it would be less expensive and produce less waste for the landfills if you just bought one or two good quality backpacks.