Being single has its advantages and disadvantages, but one thing I’m glad I get to miss out on is back to school shopping.
You wouldn’t necessarily think that from watching TV commercials. The one that sticks out the most in my memory is the Staples commercial where a dad skips around cheering as his kids follow behind him dejectedly, the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” playing in the background.
And while I’m sure the prospect of not having the kids sit around the house complaining they’re bored and demanding snacks has some appeal, stores can’t get away with portraying this as a happy time because they don’t have to pony up the dough for school supplies.
I was aghast at the recent news that my oldest sister had spent over $400 on school supplies for my nephew. 400 BUCKS?! Was her kid’s lunchbox autographed by a celebrity? Was he writing every word with a new pen and then throwing the old one away?
Fortunately, that bill turned out to be a little misleading once she looked over it. The store where she shopped (in Saskatchewan, by the way) had apparently charged her single prices for some bulk purchases and made a few other mistakes. So thankfully, that total went down somewhat.
Still, back-to-school shopping ain’t cheap. Last year, an Angus Reid poll showed that Canadian families drop an average of $883, which was about $325 more than they spend on Christmas.
Laptops, smartphones and other gadgets generally make up the biggest cost, but those tend to be one-off purchases. (At least in theory. I think my niece has blown through three smartphones.)
I think the real culprit driving up these expenses is clothes, which averaged out to around $300 per family in the study. I did once have another niece beg me to give her money for fancy shoes to avoid getting bullied by the other kids.; I’m not sure how truthful that was, but I handed over the cash anyway.
Most Canadian parents reported trying to make a budget for back-to-school supplies, but more than half ended up breaking the budget.
And this is all before parents have to shell out for school fees or purchases of sports equipment. I can barely fathom it.
I can see why the Bethel Pentecostal Church sees fit to host a night for single parents to do some low-cost back-to-school shopping, as it did last Wednesday.
The expenses I described above might be not be too bad for two-income families or even single-income families where that income is especially high, but single parents must get hit really hard.
Anyways, I hope the start of the school year is not too much of a hardship for you. If it is, you have my sympathies.
