Never buy any kits, just follow this list properly https://www.myschoolsupplylists.com/5th-grade-school-supply-list-2/ (our previous teacher used to tell parents what to buy but we changed school). I think special kits are great idea, very comfortable and rather affordable, but I always have to buy something else, they're not complete. Moreover, my daughter likes to pick everything by herself and I don't mind.

Anonymous wrote:Oh hell yes I order them, just paid for three for next year! SAHM with all the time in the world, but that is not how I want to spend my time.

I guess everyone is different. My girls and I love our annual school supply shopping trip. They are excited all summer for Target to set up the school supply shop. They have so much fun picking everything out and then we go to lunch. It's fun, and not a chore at all.

^I said that I run to the stores. I should mention that my kids actually come to the stores with me, they take their lists and pick up the items that they need, paying close attention to prices...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

This. I would rather not spend my leisure time to look for the specific marker and paper the teacher wants. Win/win for me and the school.

Same here and I'm a SAHM. Shoot me in the head if my summer pleasures is finding the right eraser.

I have no beef with anyone wanting to buy the kit. But its really not that hard - like I said upthread, I go to Target once for both kids and spend at most 15-20 minutes on this. I have never had to go to a second store or track down something weird because Target didn't have it. So "finding the right eraser" is not really part of the equation.

I buy our own supplies and I do it when we get the lists. But I usually wind up running to both Target and Walmart and sometimes to Office Depot to get everything on the lists. Every year it's like that. No one store ever has everything.

My kids are MS/HS age and they have a system for staying organized that works for them. Usually they pick up a 3 ring binder for each class, put notebook paper/graph paper in the binder along with dividers and a 3 hole pocket folder to hold papers. Sometimes they only need a spiral notebook for a class. Pens/pencils/erasers, etc are put in a zip pouch to use with all classes.