Back to school shopping

 I recently completed my kids back-to-school shopping. For the most part, I was able to recycle the classroom materials — barely used pencils will do, last year's scissors cut just as well, and despite complaints, their backpacks continue to carry books even if they did it last year too.

As for clothes, they are still at an age where a clearance tops and garage sale pants are acceptable. All-in-all, I would say I spent less than $10 for both of them.

So imagine my alarm when I saw an estimate that the average family spends over $600 on back to school supplies. $600! 

Dubious, I set out on the interwebs to investigate that number. Most of the mommy blogs discussing this topic doled out much less for their scholars than that average, but still far more than I did.

$200 seems to be average for what "real" moms spent on their kids, and if the blogs reflect reality, most of those dollars were spent on clothing. If I am honest with myself, I will admit these days of cheap clothes will not likely last long — after all, my son is in love with his Heely's and brand name clothes will likely come next. (But here is a secret for you — My husband found him  a brand name pair of those roller wheeled shoes at a garage sale for $10).

Hopefully, you are all finding deals as you get your kids ready for school. I am curious to know how much Fairmontonians spend on their children for school. Leave a comment on what you spend, we are curious.