According to the National Retail Federation families with kids will spend an average of $563 on school supplies. Ouch!

It seems today that every occasion has turned into a major shopping occasion. I think we might have gone overboard. I understand the new school year, new supplies, new start idea. But do we really need to drop half a grand on stuff? I think the third grade pencil would work in fourth grade. The books socks from last year might still adequately protect that math book.

The average college freshman spends $900 on books. Buying used books not only saves money but save planetary resources. It is not just the paper for the books, but the gas used to ship them.

Shop the Internet at Amazon.com or http://www.textbooksnow.com/ or any other online book store and save up to 95%. My summer accounting textbook was $187 new and I got it for $25 (with free supersaver shipping) off Amazon. Then use those same sites to sell them to someone else at the end of the class.

Why is a marketer asking you to buy less? Because I live on this planet too. So do my kids. Recycle, but also reuse and reduce. Then spend the money on much more fun things.

E-mail this entry to a friend