Score on school supplies!

So I hate to jinx it by saying this but we finally made it through a whole week of school without having to go to the store for more school supplies. I don't remember this happening in the past but for some reason this year I've had to traipse to the store every week since school has started to buy additional school supplies or correct the ones that were wrong.

It's probably my fault 'cause I made such a big fuss back in July when we got all three girls' supply lists and I managed to skate out of the store for under 100 bones. In years past, it seemed like it was 100 bucks a kid and that was when it was only two kids. So to rack up less than $100 total for all THREE kids was like finding a twenty bill on the sidewalk. Jackpot!

Well, that feeling was certainly short lived. The first day of school my oldest jumps in the truck and informs me that one of her teachers didn't get their list in back in July, so we need to go to the store THAT NIGHT and buy everything so we can have it by morning. And then, as I rummage through the other girls' backpacks, I find another note asking for four additional items for their classroom. I thought to myself, "NO!" I bought all the supplies listed on the handy dandy school list conveniently posted in the stores and I bought them for under a hundred. I was bound and determined that I was getting a good deal this year and if someone needed a binder, then darn tootin' we were gonna have to make one.

Well almost. I took those lists and started searching the house. My girls play pretend school all the time with their stuff from years past. There HAD to be enough old supplies shoved in their desk or hidden under the bed to check off these new lists. Sure enough! Out of the 12 new things on their lists, I found 10. Now I'm not saying these 10 things were shiny and new but gol dernit, they'd suit just fine.

Who cares if the 3-ring binders had High School Musical characters on them from eight years ago, or that the corners were all ripped and the cardboard showing through? The metal binders still clicked and a good scrubbing with the magic eraser would take off those permanent marker scribbles from their little sister. The tab dividers were from my old office 13 years ago and all frayed but again...who's noticing? The glue sticks were half gone, and the pens were all mismatched, free from various seed companies but they were all black ink! The erasers were mini Christmas trees and Halloween pumpkins, and all rounded on the edges, and the markers were all different brands, but every color of the rainbow but hey, if you want new ones, they shoulda been on the original list.

I proudly laid all the supplies out on the kitchen table, happy that I managed to find all but two items and knowing I wouldn't have to spend more dough at the store. I announced to the girls that, never fear, super thrifty mom had gathered most of their supplies, and right out of their own rooms, nonetheless! No need for a trip to store tonight! However, the girls were less than enthused. They praised me on my efforts and even thanked me but the looks on their faces, reminiscent of when you receive a homemade gift from your grandma, told me they weren't too jazzed about the slapped together supplies.

To which I gave in and replied, "Oh for Pete's sakes, just use them for this first week and then we'll go to the store on the weekend." And every weekend after that for the first three weeks of school, I ran to the store to buy the "right" kind of notebook, a white binder instead of pink, and the better red pens because the 75 pack I bought don't work, and so on and so on.

Guess I didn't score as much as I thought I did with school supplies this year. Maybe next year!