Ack ! I feel as if it Will never end.

4th grader Field Trip again @ 27.50 Last one was 65.00 in Nov, Classroom party for V-Day

7th Grader Fund Raiser @ 12.00 each book, Sweetheart dance @ 5.00

1st Grader Book Fair @ 2.00 - 25.00, Class Pictures @ 10.00,
Spring Pictures @ 35.00 ( Will not be getting this we never do too much $$ for me ),Classroom party for V-Day


8 yo son's classroom. Class Pictures @ 10.00, Book Fair @ 2.00 - 15.00,Classroom party for V-Day

They also need classroom supplies of wipes, hand soap, paper towels etc

All 4 of my kids attend 4 different schools. I feel as if this is never going to end this month. Seems as if each day they are brining something different home from the school. My 4th grader and 7th grader will do their spring pictures soon as well. But we don't get them only their classroom picture. I'm hoping the schools will wait till at least next month to do this for we are BROKE . Gesh you would think they wouldn't pick the shortest month of the year to do all these things. Between car tags, Property taxes, Car insurance( we pay every 6 months ), State taxes, Home owners insurance ( we owe a balance after that the mortgage company pays ) on top of our reg monthly bills we are broke as can be by the time the school does their thing. Ack will it ever end this month ?

I totally feel your pain. We are going through the same thing, but at least it's only 2 kiddos here.

This month we've had:
1 spaghetti dinner fundraiser
1 silent auction fundraiser
2 book fairs
1 raffle
1 American Heart Association fundraiser
1 food drive
2 "build a basket" donation requests
1 playground fundraiser
2 Valentine parties
1 spring class pictures

Not to mention, the time requests. Two parties, 3 fundraisers, I put together 25 baskets for the silent auction and that's in addition to my regular PTA committees and duties. UGH! Sometimes I think my kids' schools are a full-time job for me. They're definitely a drain on our finances.

I have three kids and I can definitely relate! Everytime I turn around it's something else. I can't believe that there is a "fee" to join anything...orchestra, fencing, soccer, etc. and they go to public schools. My oldest is now in the process of auditioning for college (he wants to be a music performance major-viola). Between the $100+ college application fees, plane fare for traveling to the auditions, rental cars, etc. we are broke...and we haven't even paid for college yet! There's only so much that we can contribute to help him. The rest he'll have to pay through student loans and working. We're hoping that he gets a scholarship. There couldn't be a worse year for him to be going off to college. I read that there are going to be more high school graduates (college applicants) this year than ever before. With the way our economy is there isn't much money for student loans. ~Lisa

That is terrible. Do the schools realize parents are having a hard time just putting food on the table and paying their own bills?

Seems like some of the field trips could be switched to something less expensive or just have just a fun day at the school on the playground or something??? Maybe cut some things out that aren't really necessary??

Our boys are grown now and I remember how expensive things were even then.

Op I feel ya pain sweetie, but know I have 2 in College and next year my baby Caitlin will be a senior so yikes ......Everyday she gets mail from colleges so many letters. I agree though things have gotten out of hand with all these expenses and not everyone can afford them...

Immensely agree...I find it frustrating to also be asked to "donate at least" for a, b or c...At least?? I always do nothing when it is worded this way...I'm also frustrated when asked to donate money or food for teacher's week...I never do-sorry teachers..But there's ample PTO money for that and I don't get gifts/food in my job as a nurse..I'm "fortunate" if I get a lunch time..I also do not give any teacher gifts..If my kids would like to purchase something that's fine, but it does not come out of my pocket..I have my kids write their teachers a nice thank-you, if appropriate, for the year..

wow Lisa you sure have your pocketbook open ekk !, Good luck on the scholarship. and I totally believe the stats about more going to college, shoot burger king will not even hire where i live unless you have are a high school grad.

Reneelaufer, Oh I forgot about the American Heart Association fundraiser, they do a jump rope for heart here, might be the same as y'all..

mom2twins2 The field trip for my son is for his gifted class, the other field trip was for the whole class of 4th graders.

Oh I forgot to also say
My son scored in the 96% on his SAT and Duke wants him for their talent search program thats another 30.00 for the app. Has to be paid for by the 25th of Feb.

Tell ya, I'll be glad when spring break gets here thats a week I know nothing needs to be paid for LOL. But then again, school lets out in May takes back in Aug and we'll have all the school supplies and uniforms to buy again. Geshh I often wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper if they went to private school, LOL. Just kidding private schools here are ungodly in cost. nearly 2,000 per student thats 8,000 a year for us plus the gas to drive them to school no bus service in the private schools.

Jan I'm one of em "Bad Parents" I have only joined the PTO one time in my kids school. I found it to be Hmm how do I say this
.' The Club of who knows who" It's a bunch of moms that think they are the Bomb !!. I have never joined again after that. But in their letters I seen where they have " asked" for money for Pizza, drinks, Etc. it's 5.00 PER person if you want to eat the night of the meeting. HUH ?? 5.00 for 1 slice of pizza and a 8 oz cup of coke ?? What do they do with the rest of that money ? Pizza here is only 5.00 for a large thats for ANY 1 Topping pizza. So for every 1 slice they sell they make 4.00 Does that money go into the PTO Bank ? also, They send a letter home every year telling parents they need 10.00 for Teacher week, meaning they honor them with a full meal during school hours thats catered !! WTH ?, We are not talking about cheap either. last year they ordered from our 4 star place here and I know for a fact the 1 course meal there starts at 15.00 ( 1 meat , 2 sides NO DRINK )!! Hell their chief salad is 12.50 ( Cheese, ham, sliced egg and tomatoes ) !. I don't get it, to me that money would better spent by giving each teacher a gift card so they can buy supplies for the classroom. then maybe order a take out or do some kind of pot luck between the teachers .?. My vote is for a pot luck personally. Getting so you have to open a saving account just for spending on the things for your child at school.

All I hear is selfishness. If you have a problem, homeschool them. Otherwise, deal with it. Our schools are dealing with intense budget cuts from 70 million from the Long Beach School District (understandably under budget because it is in Cali) to here in Colorado - high military town to cutting $60,000 from each school.

This will continue to happen. No one asked anyone of you to do any of the fundraisers. You can elect not to do them. If you feel like donating - just donate an amount - tax deductable. Don't need to pay for an overpriced dinner. Don't need to buy the kids book from the book fairs. Our libraries have great collections that you can put on hold for what you want.

This is a board where we know how to be thrifty - so be it. Please stop the complaining. And yes, I am a teacher. If you want your kids to be in a club, expect to pay for it. If you don't have to, good! You are enriching your child - that is worth paying for...

There is this really great word "No". Pick and choose which fund raisers to support. What happens to the child who cannot afford to pay for the field trip? Do they stay at school and are excluded from the learning experience of the field trip? Buy a paperback book from the book fair to support it --stay away from the junk stuff. Then go to your favorite bookstore or go to the library and check out books.
I am tight and pick and choose I do pick and choose which fundraisers to support. School pictures are just another fundraiser. Get a class picture, but for the rest go to a portrait studio and get them made. You get more pictures for the same money. They will still take a picture for the yearbook. You can always send in supplies next month or when they go on sale.

I agree with jnsp. I just paid $35 for my son to play baseball this summer but that includes his shirt, hat and pants. It also goes toward maintanence of the field and umpires to call the games. You can't expect for your kid to play a sport for free. There are costs. If you don't like what the PTO is spending on teacher's dinners, then join and change it. Teachers deserve a full catered meal. They work hard, very hard. Is it really that hard to give a few dollars to someone who helps make your child a better person, a smarter person, a person who will succeed in life? Gee, don't buy a coffee that week, or whatever it may be.

Your post makes me laugh !. There's no selfishness here, why can't the school spread this OUT into the 9 months the kids are in school ? Did you NOT read I said in the month of FEB ?? If the schools would spread this out then there would be more parents able to help rather than picking the shortest month of the year where many families are only getting 2 pay checks rather than 3 !.. And for your information I do support the schools my children attend. God you are a teacher ?? and you have NO complaints about how many request schools are making these days ? So I'll take it that YOU support your school by buying and doing every single thing they are having I mean after all you are enriching the life's of the students you teach. Maybe you should come down from your high horse . BTW where do you think the schools would be if parents didn't support schools. I know in the unemployment line with the families that have kids in school.

you didnt have the $75 yearbooks on that list! heheh

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Opss indeed I didn't

you are saying the money would be better spent on a meal rather than giving gift cards so the teachers wouldn't have to dig into their own pockets for school supplies ? I would much rather take my 10.00 and give the gift cards ( which that is what I do anyway at the end of the school year and also at Christmas ) than send in 10.00 for a meal. And no one ever said they didn't work hard and didn't deserve something for their work. But spending 2,000 on a meal to honor them when they too are having to pull from their pockets isn't the way to go IMHO. I'm sure if you ask the teachers input on whether they would like a catered meal or a 100.00 gift card you will not find many that will say please pass the bread.

We just had a book fair and class pictures. I gave the kids $5 limit each at the book fair. It's about the only school fundraiser I"ll do. I don't get class pictures. My kids know better than to ask. During school conferences, the PTO asks for people to bring in food/drink/dessert for the teachers for 2 days. It's not catered...they want people to make it at home and bring it in. I bring in one thing a year (there are 5 total conference days per year I think). Our school asks for a lot but I say "no". It's easier than you think once you get the hang of it. I'm in CO and I know the schools are getting budget cuts this next year so it will only get worse but DH just got a 5% wage cut so "no" will be A LOT easier to say next year.

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How do you know that it costs that much? Just because that's what the menu says doesn't mean that the teachers do not get some break or mabye even that the restaurant donates most of it.

God I would hope it cost that much or even more , since there's 750 students and they are requesting 10.00. They didn't state we need XX amount of families to give but we ask that you send in 10.00. .

So at the most if every single family sent in 10.00 thats 7500.00 But we all know not all families will send it. So even at say 250 families thats 2500.00

So I'm sure if they are breaking it down by asking 10.00 knowing that maybe only 1/3 will send it in they pretty much know how much it will cost or they would just say send in what you can.They get no other rewards other than the lunch, so all money taken in is suppose to pay for the lunch and nothing else.

But either way. I still hold firm that teachers if asked would rather have a gift card and pot luck Vs a small lunch and drink. There are 66 teachers at my DD's school if you broke it down thats just over 37.00 each teacher @ 2500.00. Teachers in my area are not taxed on their classroom supplies. So that 37.00 could go along way if they save it for .01- .15 sales at the beginning of the new school year.
Oh and BTW. This year I personally know that the budget only allowed 25.00 for classroom supplies this year. Since it's been reported next school year the budget has been cut again with over 10 million dollars with NO new hiring of teachers or teacher aids they probably will not even get that. I think it's ashame that they must pull from their own pockets to pay for items the state should supply for them. Thats why I say they would much rather have a gift card than lunch. So you take it anyway you want too. My point wasn't that I didn't support the schools because god knows I do( you cant have 4 kids and not support things ), My point was they are doing this all in 1 month the shortest month and at tax time if you want to add that little bit in there.

We do the book fairs, classroom pictures only, field trips , coupon book fund raiser ( 2 times a year because it's 2 different coupon books . One is 12.00 the other is 20.00 ) we do the class parties. Plus each year when colors, pencils and paper go on sale for .01
I buy
a case of colors ( 32 boxes per case ) (3 youngest )
a case of pencils per classroom (3 youngest ) 12 boxes of 24 pencils
and if I can get away with it . I buy the max allowed of paper for each day usually 4 days here they allow 5 packs per customer.been doing this for 5 years and you wouldn't believe how much my kids teachers appreciate the items. It's like Christmas to them.

This teacher would definately take the gift card! I pay for all my students' supplies and anything else I need in the classroom. This year I bought a full sized whiteboard.

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Viola-great choice, better chance of getting scholarships on viola than violin. It's a beautiful instrument (I'm a violinist)

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Music is what feelings sound like._ ~Author Unknown

It's the same thing here with my two boys in public school. I have already spent over $100 this year for field trips for my 3rd grader and most of the field trips are 'in house' at the school. They say it is a 'donation' and if you don't pay your child still gets to go, but if they don't collect enough money, they cancel the field trip.

Coming up we have:
- 3rd grade teacher's birthday
- teacher appreciation week x2 (might as well have DH's paycheck direct deposited at the school for that one <lol>).
- spring centers x2
- spring fling classroom gift basket for auction x2
- kindergarten field trip
- spring pictures / class pictures x2
- winter dance
- face painting - donation for school charity fund
- school store

$35 is a bargain -- I just paid $95 EACH for my two boys to play soccer. I'm not complaining, I paid it willingly, but I would have loved for it to be $35.

Well he is only in 2nd grade. The higher you get up, the more money it cost.

My 2 grandsons play soccer and it's 50.00 which includes pants, shirt and gear. The parents buy the shoes. Wal-Mart here sells or use to sell the shoes for 25.00. The pictures are no included in the price so I'm not for sure how much they cost. But my grandsons love the game. This year my 3rd grandson will play also. Now I can't swear to this, But my cub master told me that some places will help pay the cost if a family can't afford the cost, But I don't know anything about that tho. I do know our city keeps the playing field in repair so they dont charge extra money for that to the parents/ As a matter of fact the only soccer team we have is the city LOL so that might be why the city keeps the field in repair. Lots of children join the soccer team here from K-8. I think it's great, Anything that keeps a young child from the streets is a good thing in my book.
Oh BTW the soccer team here play both boys and and girls on same team.

cost me $75 to sign her up for softball this year. I say pick and choose the fund raisers you are willing to pay for. If you don't have it don't spend it. My daughter is in charter school and they do different fund raisers throughout the year. We just had Dad's and doughnuts last Friday($2 each). They do Mom's and Muffins, Ice cream social and a couple of movie nights. They do have a book fair twice a year and pictures(which I never buy because my daughter is ALWAYS a mess--pictures always seem to be after P. E and recess for her so I just take her to Target or do them myself). My son is in public school Jr. High this year and they have had tons of fund raisers already. Lucky for me he never brings info home(including important papers half the time--LOL) and I don't ever feel like I have to buy anything.

My grandson was in grade 2 last year and it was over $100 for him to play baseball.

His school does a collection in September to cover most of the items for the school year. The parents began to revolt at the every Friday folder full of money requests. The parents pay this at the beginning of the year and that eliminates about 80% of the weekly requests. They know when to expect it and approximately how much it will be from the previous years amount, so they have the summer to put it aside.

I have heard of no real complaints about it. And all the paper it saves, and time for everyone, has been great.

I so feel your pain, with 5 kids in school, 6 next year, nothing is cheap!

We opt out of most fundraisers ( we decide on a case by case basis)

3x a year I ask the teachers for a wishlist of supplies for the classroom, and this is what we do for Christmas, Valentine's and end of the year gifts.

Field trips, so far this year, have totaled well into 400 dollars. I do think that when planning a field trip, the teachers need to think about how many may not be able to afford it.


For us, January and May seem to be the most expensive months. I wish things were spread out a little more evenly throughout the year. (Except back to school time)

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Nicole

Hi Nicole,
When school took in this year gas was on the rise. By late Sept it had hit over 4.50 a gallon and diesel was even higher. The 1st trip my son had was to our state capital. The school sent letters out telling parents they had to have XX amount of families to go or the trip would be off due to high cost of gas at the time. The trip ended up costing everyone 65.00 per child and parent that wanted to attend.I can say tho, My son really enjoyed the trip, got to see our state capital and learn some history so the money was well spent IMHO.

Now the 4th graders also bowl 1 time a week here. The school has been doing this for 20+ years. We have always been charged 2.00 Per trip . My oldest DD did this for the 2 years she went to the school and my son did it last year and this year, However, again the gas prices were ungodly when school took back in. The school sent letters home saying they had to charge a flat 5.00 per child for the year to cover gas or .50 extra per trip if you didn't opt to send the one time fee of 5.00 I totally agree with the charge. The school busing system is small and to boot we are mainly a rural place to live. the extra fuel to bus the kids 3 times a week to bowl was a great idea . Many families didn't agree and some of the parents felt it was no fair and flat out refuse to pay the cost. Their children or in my sons classroom their sons dont do the bowling now because of the parents refusing to send the extra 5.00. .. I guess its their right to do so or no to do it, but I'm sure their children feel badly to know they are sitting in a classroom while their classmates are out having fun.
But I liked your school deal with sending in a one time payment. This would be great if all schools did that. As you said 2 months it hits hard for you ,same here it's seems Feb is when everything needs to be paid or they set deadlines before we have extra money to pay.Since we never know what they will be doing in Feb this may not work tho. Sometimes they have spring pictures in April this year it's Feb . Last year they opt for no V-Day parties but wanted to do a Easter Party instead. This year it's V-day. So each year it changes so we never know till we get a notice. But I sure wish they would do a 1 time fee that would help a lot of parents including us.

maybe hard for them to be able to part with that $5. Like for Nicole that $5 could mean almost three of her kids could have a lunch one day or even one kid in some schools cause of lunch prices.

I think most schools dont think about the families that have more than a child or two in school when they plan things

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At the beginning of the school year, we were "required" to pay an extra "transportation" fee, to off set the costs of gas. All parents were supposed to pay this, it didn't matter if your child rode the bus, walked or was a car rider. When field trips come up we are also asked to pay extra for the gas and driver. I did not include our gas costs, in the field trip costs.

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Nicole