I guess I am cheap, but when my kids were in school, they did not get everything new each year. Some years we could buy school supplies through the school, which was discounted, but how many erasers, rules, pairs of scissors etc does one child need?
I know it is nice to start off the year with everything shiny and new, but, I am sorry I could not afford it. Now that I am in uni my biggest expense are text books. I bought a package of black pens and shared them with my son. I did need a financial calculator for a couple of my courses, but otherwise I am using what I have.
Someone mentioned 48 pencils already sharpened....? There is no way my kids would go through 48 pencils in a year, between the three of them.
I can understand being asked to provide a box of tissue, otherwise the teacher is paying that out of her own pocket.