@Stealth83 : Very well stated!
I remember buying school stuff here and there a little at a time during some very lean times myself.

@Stealth83 : @Unfetteredgypsy : So well said ladies !! Agree with you both completely.

@Stealth83 : SUPERBLY stated!!!!!
As a single mom for 16 years I never once asked for assistance. I did exactly as you state. All throughout the year I either put back money for school supplies, or I purchased a few a week all year. We had a "supply closet" where the kids knew to go for whatever they needed for school. Everything from pens and pencils to binders, notebooks, and index cards.
I put back like $10 a paycheck, ALL YEAR, just to buy school clothes for two kids. I watched the sales and coupons, and started buying their uniform stuff as soon as it came out, and I shopped around for every penny saved I could.
Even stocking stuffers for my kids growing up at Christmas were school supplies! And they knew it was going to happen, and they never complained.PLAN PLAN PLAN.
Lack of planning on one's part, does not constitute an emergency on another.

@Stealth83 : I so agree...I am doing that with the grandson I raised. I taught him he had to purchase all those want things...I only purchased need things. He is out on his own and almost to bottom...has not hit yet...but close. It is his dog and him...! He called yesterday said he has a dead battery...busted out back windshield...out of dog food...he has not eaten in 3 days....I held my breath and did not offer a dime...he hung up on me 😰it is so hard.

@Lyn0811 : Ohh I feel you. I have a daughter that moved out and in with her boyfriend. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOO hard. I will only pay for her college supplies, $30 a week gas to get to class. That's IT.
There are days she calls about this or that.... dog has fleas, need dog shampoo..... why do you have a dog if you can't feed yourself? Low on gas because she went to a friend's house.. whooopieeee.. make the friend come to you.
The only thing I will do, is if they are starving, she can come to the house and eat.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard.

Agree. Why buy school supplies for other people's kids. Parents should take care of their own. I'm already paying for their education with my school taxes.

That's why we have Dollar Tree!

OK, say what you want, but this is my opinion. The parents are the ones who are not showing responsibility, but the kids are the ones who are going to suffer. THEY will be the ones walking in with no supplies. THEY will be the ones trying to borrow a pencil, or paper, or other needs. Not sure how long it has been since you had little ones in school, but we have a grandson who is going into 7/8 this year. Yes, some things I can buy ahead, but others are so class specific. He HAD to have an orange folder two years ago, no other color would be accepted, and it had to be a certain kind. It took time, but I found it. I was one of those kids who never had what I needed, and it was painful. With our kids, yes, I shopped, and sewed, bought stuff on clearance and saved it for the next year. With Peanut, it isn't an issue, we can provide for him. It isn't going to break our budget for me to buy school supplies for at least one child so they can feel a little bit less shame over being poor or having thoughtless parents. It is why I make doll clothes, and make other donations. Because we can all pontificate all day about bad parenting, but it isn't just about parents, it is about kids. Kids who can't help themselves. I pay taxes, I donate, and I will continue to help where I see a need

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@susieq : I understand kids are the ones who have to do without however this parents need to learn about priorities as a matter of facts the other day I went to purchase gasoline and saw a woman complaining about how expensive is to send her children to school and yet she was buying scratch off tickets ( 50 Dlls worth) beer and cigarettes! Many parents don't care because they know that someone or some organization will help out. My thoughts that's all.

@Stealth83 : Your so right! I was a single mom raised two daughters, thank goodness they were 7 years apart, helped a bunch:-) I always worked hard, and I was tough, when the time came, at the right age, I purchased each daughter a car and told them, first ticket, first accident, your car is gone, they were like but what if it's not our fault, I said too bad, you should have been paying attention! To this day, one is 34, other 27, neither had a ticket or a accident, both productive, college educated, proud of my baby girl, purchased her first home all by herself at the age of 25! I am truly blessed, but again it was a lot of hard work, long hours, but I did what I had to do to make ends meet! It's funny. I taught my youngest about budgeting about around 10, I sat her down, showed her my bank account, my pay check and she was like we are rich, then I showed her as I paid each bill and then she looked at me and said, Mom, we are poor, ha ha Something worked though:-)

We didn't have a lot of money when our kids were little, they now tell us they never knew. I had a garden, I cooked from scratch, I made all our clothes. There was the Christmas Eve I was up at midnight sewing belly buttons in the Cabbage Patch type dolls I had made them. As time has gone by, things have gotten much easier with age and better jobs. When they were ready for cars, we made their down payment, they covered the rest. College? We paid for the first semester, if they failed, they had to work and pay their own cost and we would help out after they started passing again. All 3 have degrees, and good jobs. I agree, it drives me crazy to see parents neglecting their kids for their own selfish wants, and I have spoken to more than one parent about it before. Each of us has to follow our own beliefs. My belief is I need to show kids that people can be good. They can care about someone they don't even know. Kids need hope, and I will continue to provide that to the best of my ability. Oh, and all 3 of mine own homes. I just about died last night when I saw a report that said kids expected help from their parents till they were in their 30's?!

@Stealth83 : When I was in school, we bought only pens, pencils (with erasers - no erasers other than that) and maybe some looseleaf paper. Crayons, markers, construction paper, notebooks, glue, colored pencils, scissors, tissues, etc. were supplied by the school. We sharpened our pencils using the sharpeners that were nailed to the wall. That is no longer the case and parents have to buy much more than we did, so it is much more expensive for the parents now.

@susieq : I've been hearing this, and it is killing me! BS!!!!!
We did the same thing with college.
The 18 year old flunked out her first semester. Refused to pay for the next one, she took two classes SHE could pay for. Passed..... We're paying for third semester no problem. She's holding a 3.92 GPA.
My son dinked around in his Electrician Apprenticeship and failed a required passing math test b/c he refused a tutor, was ejected from program to start over. - Made him work a job and earn the money for tuition for math class at San Jac.......he's currently on his third class at San Jac just this summer, and has a 3.8GPA.
My daughter in vet tech school is currently on academic probation b/c she stretched herself too thin moving out, and her grades slipped. If she doesn't pass this eight weeks... Momma's done with checks to the school. And she knows it.
Hard luck teaches the best lessons.

I agree on both sides.
The "needed" school supplies cost about $20 when hitting the back to school sales. All the rest- backpacks, clothes... buy throughout the year as you can afford it. Kids don't NEED new clothes to start the school year.Kids shouldn't be made to suffer because their parents SUCK!