It's HEEEERRRRRE! Fund raiser time! For our first fund raiser, we are selling the Entertainment coupon book...anybody want to buy one? We will, of course buy one, at $25 each. AD would like to sell 10 so that he can earn another limousine ride. (Last year, we bought several Christmas gifts from the school fund raiser catalog, and he was one of the top 25 salespeople in the school!)
So far he has sold two...not counting us.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
August 22
Unbelievably, no requests for money for two days straight! I think I heard that the main school fund raiser will start this week, though...we'll see.
In case you were worried, the $80 lunch card was NOT lost. The teachers keep them, not the students. BUT, since AD (my son) has a loose tooth, he has decided that he cannot eat the school lunches, and he wants me to pack his lunch every day. I knew I should have just put $10 on that card. Live and learn. Good news is that he seems very happy and comfortable with first grade.
I was interested to read a Canadian blog entry today on the topic of how expensive public school can be. They pay a pretty hefty monthly sum to ride the school buses. So I am counting my blessings this evening!
http://canajunfinances.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-thought-public-school-was-free.html
In case you were worried, the $80 lunch card was NOT lost. The teachers keep them, not the students. BUT, since AD (my son) has a loose tooth, he has decided that he cannot eat the school lunches, and he wants me to pack his lunch every day. I knew I should have just put $10 on that card. Live and learn. Good news is that he seems very happy and comfortable with first grade.
I was interested to read a Canadian blog entry today on the topic of how expensive public school can be. They pay a pretty hefty monthly sum to ride the school buses. So I am counting my blessings this evening!
http://canajunfinances.blogspot
Monday, August 20, 2007
August 20
Some comments on the expenses spreadsheet (see link at left): I have created two columns for every spending opportunity category. One for dollars that I choose to spend and another for those I reject. Each row is represented simply by the date. We'll see if we can keep the categories to a minimum and explain in detail in each daily log...
August 3 expenses: This was "tax-free" weekend in Missouri, so I saved around 8% on these purchases. See the attached school supply list. I skipped a couple of items, thinking I had them at home, but alas, they were not the right ones, so a follow-up shopping trip was made on August 19.
http://www.wentzville.k12.mo.us/tinymce/filemanager/files/docs/gt0708rev.pdf
August 16 expenses: This was "meet the teacher" night at our school. We paid $5 to join the PTO. (I don't think I ever did join that last year.) And then we put $80 on our son's school lunch card. At $2 per lunch, this should last a couple of months...assuming he doesn't buy breakfast. I think we'll reject the a la carte option, which would also allow him to buy cookies, ice cream and gatorade - at his own discretion...REALLY? WOW! He's six!
August 19 expenses: I feel obligated to comment on the school clothes that we bought this year. This was incredibly extravagant spending on school clothes for our family. We usually spend next to nothing on clothes. I just want it to be noted here that we did opt out of buying new shoes, because our son has at least 4 pair that he can wear to school right now, and it felt silly to buy new ones just because everyone else will have new shoes. When I relayed that story to a friend, she gave us a pair of VERY lightly used Heelys that we can use - without the wheels - to look like we have new shoes like everyone else. Plus the WHeelys are entertaining to try at home!
August 20 expenses: Finally, the first day of school! Our son lost his $80 lunch card. Gotta find that! We sent a $3 check today for the class parties. This was listed on our district's school supply list. Tonight we have a 1/2" stack of paperwork to peruse, fill out and return. Included in that was kids' accident insurance that we could purchase for $40 for the entire year. What a bargain!? Won't our regular insurance cover that? No thank you to that one. Our first rejected expenditure...that and the a la carte, which I will calculate at easily $1 per day, 174 school days, whew!
August 3 expenses: This was "tax-free" weekend in Missouri, so I saved around 8% on these purchases. See the attached school supply list. I skipped a couple of items, thinking I had them at home, but alas, they were not the right ones, so a follow-up shopping trip was made on August 19.
http://www.wentzville.k12.mo.us/tinymce/filemanager/files/docs/gt0708rev.pdfAugust 16 expenses: This was "meet the teacher" night at our school. We paid $5 to join the PTO. (I don't think I ever did join that last year.) And then we put $80 on our son's school lunch card. At $2 per lunch, this should last a couple of months...assuming he doesn't buy breakfast. I think we'll reject the a la carte option, which would also allow him to buy cookies, ice cream and gatorade - at his own discretion...REALLY? WOW! He's six!
August 19 expenses: I feel obligated to comment on the school clothes that we bought this year. This was incredibly extravagant spending on school clothes for our family. We usually spend next to nothing on clothes. I just want it to be noted here that we did opt out of buying new shoes, because our son has at least 4 pair that he can wear to school right now, and it felt silly to buy new ones just because everyone else will have new shoes. When I relayed that story to a friend, she gave us a pair of VERY lightly used Heelys that we can use - without the wheels - to look like we have new shoes like everyone else. Plus the WHeelys are entertaining to try at home!
August 20 expenses: Finally, the first day of school! Our son lost his $80 lunch card. Gotta find that! We sent a $3 check today for the class parties. This was listed on our district's school supply list. Tonight we have a 1/2" stack of paperwork to peruse, fill out and return. Included in that was kids' accident insurance that we could purchase for $40 for the entire year. What a bargain!? Won't our regular insurance cover that? No thank you to that one. Our first rejected expenditure...that and the a la carte, which I will calculate at easily $1 per day, 174 school days, whew!
First Day of First Grade
Last year, when my son was in kindergarten, I was amazed by many things.
First, and most importantly, was how quickly he learned to read, even though I had spent the previous five years unsuccessfully trying to teach him this at home!
The second amazing thing was how much paper he brought home on a nightly basis: notes about sports teams he could join, school menus and information about how the district was going to change the high school schedule. (Why was it necessary to send this home with the kindergarteners? However, I dutifully read the entire dreary document.)
The third thing that amazed me is related to the second, but deserves a distinct and separate category.
So, toward the end of that year I decided to keep track of the potential and actual money I spend on my child's free public education for one year. Today was the first day of school, but I am already way behind on the blog.
First, and most importantly, was how quickly he learned to read, even though I had spent the previous five years unsuccessfully trying to teach him this at home!
The second amazing thing was how much paper he brought home on a nightly basis: notes about sports teams he could join, school menus and information about how the district was going to change the high school schedule. (Why was it necessary to send this home with the kindergarteners? However, I dutifully read the entire dreary document.)
The third thing that amazed me is related to the second, but deserves a distinct and separate category.
Almost EVERY day AT LEAST one of those pieces of paper that my baby toted home from his half-day of kindergarten involved the opportunity for me to spend money on him!Sometimes the notes were accompanied by arm-twisting, guilt inducing notes, and sometimes I supplied my own guilt, "but if we don't buy him a class shirt, will he have a gift to open during the Winter party? And if everyone else does get a shirt...oh, I don't want him to feel left out."
So, toward the end of that year I decided to keep track of the potential and actual money I spend on my child's free public education for one year. Today was the first day of school, but I am already way behind on the blog.
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