It’s that time of the year again—the (unenthused) start of a ten-month journey as we eagerly await for the next summer. Many things will stay the same—the activities you’ll pursue, the fluctuating temperatures of the classrooms, and the absurd amounts of hallway traffic in a race for the lunch line. But as always, there will be change, like new schedules, new teachers, the rotation of temporarily closed bathrooms, and so much more. And with the month approaching ever so soon, it’s time for one thing—back-to-school shopping … or is it?
The craze for this occasion is unnecessary, but I understand why one might succumb to it. When I was younger, I loved watching shopping hauls of kids my age, going to their local Target during this time of year, piling in new school supplies, clothes, and so much more. When I brought up this same idea to my parents, they explained to me that it was not necessary to do those amounts of shopping. Still, the thought of having sets of supplies in matching colors appealed to me more than the several unused or still usable binders from the prior year I had at home.
I wasn’t alone in wanting to do mounds of shopping. According to USA Today, consumers in August 2022 were expected to spend 40.6 percent more on back-to-school shopping compared to the previous year. Additionally, the individual prices of items had increased by fifteen percent compared to the year before. A backpack that was once sixty dollars was now seventy, and folders and notebooks had also seen an increase in prices.
The National Retail Federation stated that 37.1 billion dollars were spent on back-to-school shopping in 2021, which is significantly more than what it was in 2017, at 29.5 billion. This suggests that as inflation rises, so do our budgets.
But this trend with back-to-school shopping is not anything out of the ordinary. There’s also Halloween approaching, holiday shopping, and birthdays—all are occasions that are excuses for people to spend excessively. It’s fine to spend money on these occasions, but perhaps we should dive deeper into why we are, and if we are really balancing what we want versus what we actually need. Perhaps one factor could be from the herd mentality. By the Merriam-Webster definition, herd mentality is, “the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals.” When a handful of others think one way, it can create a sense that everyone else should behave similarly. An example of this is those awkward few moments when a teacher asks a question, and nobody responds as everyone is waiting for someone else to answer. However, breaking this pattern is good. Just because a handful of others stack up on shopping during these occasions, doesn’t mean that you have to as well.
With all of this being said, you’ll probably need a new set of pencils, and folders that are not ripped at the edges. Buy the materials you are lacking, and sort through what you already have. Go through your desk or closet, and find any materials that are still in good shape to use (If you still have highlighters from last year, use them!). By utilizing supplies for longer periods of time, it’ll force you to put more care into them, and find more value in them. Be sensible about the new supplies you get, and make sure of good quality to last you a while. You might find that you have more than enough supplies to last through a good chunk of the year, and might save yourself a few bucks.
Take this as a sign to utilize and cherish what you already have. Change can be good, but it’s also okay to allow some things to stay indifferent. So, here’s to a new school year, filled with the new experiences coming your way, and some of the same ways staying with you as well.