1. Money spent on supplies

2. Heavy backpacks for your children

However there are ways to help with these issues

Don't let your kids choose a new backpack every year - not even every other year. YOU should pick a backpack that you think will last and look normal for at least 3 years. Black and other gender/age-friendly colored backpacks are great. BTW Bigger is not better.

I've seen those huge backpacks with CD slots, ipod slots, shoulder pads, rolling capabilities, and other rather useless whatnot. (yes, shoulder pads are useless. They feel good for 5 minutes, but after that the pain is just as harsh as it would be without them. The only real way to ease a kid's shoulders is to get the backpack to weigh less)

There will come a time at your kid's school life where teachers will actually require a certain type of calculator.

For example: When I was in 9th grade I was required a calculator that would do simultaneous equations. When I was in 8th grade I was required a graphical calculator. When I was in 12th grade I was required a graphical calculator that could also do various differentials and even 3D graphs. Each calculator was worth about 100$ at the time. That means that's a total of 300$. If instead, back in 9th grade, I had sprung for the most advanced calculator (amazingly, the same one I ended up using in 12th grade), yes the calculator itself would have been more expensive because of how new it was (about 150$). However that would mean I wouldn't have bought the other 2, thus saving money.

Summary: When you buy that first required HS calculator, just spring for the one with the most amount of features (note: some teachers require specific models. In that case, I'm sorry but you'll have to get that one).

Probably the heaviest part of a kid's backpack, and sometimes the most expensive. Also, depending on your financial status, and your kid's load of books. There are many ways to find the best method for you. Just ask yourself a few questions.

1. Does my school provide books?

If your school provides books, at least you don't have to spend money on them.

2. For the books that aren't provided, how many are available at the library and for how long?

This is mostly for reading books. Some teachers will assign books without necessarily providing them (college books, summer reading books, etc..). If you can get them at the library, you won't have to buy them. All that you need to do is find out when the book will be needed and take it out then.

3. Which books are used only at home?

Many teachers allow textbooks to be left at home. They will either use backup textbooks at school, or use presentation pages. Take their advice : leave them at home.

4. Which books are used only at school? Many books will be used in class, but not so much at home. These will be mostly workbooks and other such things.

5. Which books are used at school AND home? Whether it's a workbook, textbook, or reading book, many teachers will have your kids read or refer to them in class...and do further reading at home. In this case you have a few solutions.

You could:

• Get another print of the book (buy one or a library book or an older version that you happened to have). Yes, this could mean more money spent, but at least it means you'll have a home and a school publishing, so your kid won't need to haul them back and forth. This is obviously meant for kids who walk home and have a lot of books.

• Tell your kid to do some reading during lunch and after school study sessions. That's a nice way to not have to bring books back and forth.

When you buy a binder, unless your kid's teacher specifies a specific size, you should aim for a relatively small binder (1 inch or smaller). Small Binder = Not too much paper = less weight. Personally I have a school binder, and I have a home binder. My home binder is pretty big (like 2 inches). When my school binder gets filled, I move the older pages to the home binder. This is not only helping for backpack weight, but it also helps teach organization.

Summary: Shoot for smaller binders in order to use less backpack space

Another great aspect of using a small binder is that you can't have too much paper in or it'll just overload. Like I said above, having a big home binder to move your notes to is great. However, unless you like having to move paper all the time, you may want to find ways to use as few pages as possible. The only way to do that is to take advantage of both sides of paper. See, it teaches about consumption balance.

Summary: Try to use both sides of paper

Personally when I see "Highlighters" on the school list I ignore it. I'd rather get colored pens.

• Do not smudge to other side of paper

• Does not smudge ink

• Can be used to underline, box, and put separator lines

• Can be used to write if all the blue/black pens run out

• Use less backpack space than highlighters

We all eventuall get stuck with teachers who will require specific items.

I had a teacher who required a white 1/2'' presentation folder binder with a slot for a presentation page; I had a teacher who required a 2'' inch binder (and I'm still not sure why); I had a teacher who required a black marble notebook; I had a teacher who required a green marble graph notebook; I had a teacher who required a 2-pocket folder with binder holes.

When school ends I go through all of my stuff and empty it the binders, folders, and whatnot and put it in my Empty Stuff Corner. Even if my binder has corners that are starting to wear out I still keep it. Some of my family members throw away binders and folders if they are slightly used. It's a waste of money and of supplies.

However those aren't the only items that can be reused. I've often reused notebooks as well. I just tear apart the pages that are full of notes. Sometimes I get lazy and I simply staple the unusable pages together. I still have a notebook from the 8th grade. It's got enough blank pages left to be reused someday. I do realize that going to school with a user notebook may not go too well with many kids - it's uncool. However those used notebooks can be used to:

• Write drafts

• Use as scrap paper for math problems

• Write grocery/shopping lists

• Write anything that comes to mind. You shouldn't have to use a brand new notebook or a random piece of paper.

Don't forget to include rulers, scissors, and all other sorts of reusable items in your Empty Stuff Corner. At least that way you can cross these off of your supply list without having to buy anything.

Extra: About scissors, rulers, colored pencils, markers, and other occasional items.

If you have many kids, you don't necessarily need to buy pairs of all of these. Unless your kid has an art class where you have to bring your own supplies, they may not need to use these unless at home. In that case, well....sharing is caring right?

This is the same for certain math supplies. If one kid is doing geometry (rulers, protractors, compass, etc...), changes are your other kids aren't. That's because geometry isn't all that prevalent in math classes, and a lot of teachers don't teach it at the same time. So have your kids find out whether or not they NEED to have these tools that year, and figure out whether or not you can use a sharing method.