Back to School Shopping

1. Why is it so difficult to find laminated maps made in the USA? I refuse to pay for a USA map made in China. I was thrilled to find a world map made by GeoNova on sale that was made in the USA.
2. I cleaned out our markers and glue etc. at both home and at church for Sunday School. I've taken advantage of too many 1 cent sales on glue the past few years. All that is organized now.
3. My neighbor said she spent $100 on school supplies when her oldest went to first grade at the public school. I really couldn't believe that when I do the deals at Office Depot and Staples etc. Then I started listening to moms talking to their children while in the school supply section recently and I think I'm starting to get it. When I taught in the classroom our list had tissues for the whole class to share and then normal items like pencils, glue, plain folders for each student. The lists are much more detailed and extensive now.
4. I went to Target today and I walked out without spending one cent. 10 years ago I loved shopping at Target. They just don't offer what I want at a price I want any more.
5. Even though we homeschool I do spend money this time of year on school and office supplies. This is the time of year that I buy things like sheet protectors to organize recipes, pencil boxes for organizing small toys, notebooks for piano lessons, etc. I buy what the stores have on sale and use my teacher discount when possible. I do the Staples rebates to get paper for 1 cent and donate it to our church for copies.
6. I have been shocked how much binders cost recently. When I was in grade school we all wanted Trapper Keepers and I did get one eventually. But for high school and college plain binders were fine. Even the plain binders are expensive now. Even at back to school time there aren't really deals on binders. Why are they so expensive?
7. I helped the Lambs get their personal money organized recently. We put their money in a pencil pouch in the front of a binder. I made them up their own lists in the back of the binder so they can record when they earn or receive money and when they spend money.
8. If I had more than one child in school I would make one list of what was required for all my children. I would take that list shopping instead of looking at multiple lists in the store. It drives me crazy in the store to see parents with several children shouting out to each child what they need while looking at multiple lists.