Back-to-School Shopping

School supply lists and classroom wish lists and uniform shopping and logo clothing orders...yep, it's that time of year again.  Each year there's the debate between 'how much' and 'what do we really need' and all such.

This year, there are a couple of favorite items that I think I'll mention in my blog here.

1.)  Neoprene lunch bags.  I don't understand why these aren't more popular!  Fiona had one last year.  It is made out of the same material as many laptop covers and zips up like them.  It's fantastic!  It doesn't stain, and it stays brand-new looking perpetually.  Food spills inside and we simply turn it inside-out and pop it in the wash!  Perfect.  So, this year I bought her another pattern and she alternates between her polka-dot lunch bag--which, by the way, looks like a cute purse, really--and her new heart-patterned one.  Except for maybe the little BYO brand label being more worn on the polka-dot bag, you can't really tell which is older! 
Unfortunately, except for a skull and cross-bones one, I couldn't find a boyish design, so I've just ordered a different style, Built brand, black neoprene lunchbag for him on Amazon.  I hope it's the right thing!
As soon as it comes in, I'm going to throw away our old, cruddy bags--which never stayed nice for more than a week or two!  I'm convinced the neoprene bags aren't being advertised because the companies will sell so much less once folks get them, so the companies don't want to promote them!  It's another conspiracy theory...

Ahem, on to
2)  Logo clothing.  Yep, I'm a sucker for the logo clothing.  I love the embroidered Montessori school logo, and I'm about to place an order for some new tops for both kids.  We've had them before, and they just look so much better than the plain shirts.

Now, my personally exciting novelty,
3)  A plaid skirt.  Fiona came home and reported that she could wear a plaid skirt to school this year.  I double-checked the uniform guidelines and found, to my utter surprise, that it was true!  I was tickled that I'd bought a navy, blue, and white plaid skirt for her at Once Upon a Child for no particular reason (at least, I thought not!), and the colors are perfect for her school, so she has that on today. 
So, I was telling Michael about the skirt and relating how I figured it was from Country Day.  Nope, wrong color, he points out.  Oh, right!  Maybe Calvary?  Nope, etc....
That night, I had the urge to watch Gilmore Girls, one of our favorite shows, again.  Lo and behold if Fiona's skirt isn't identical to Rory's Chilton skirt (Chilton is an elite private school, and the skirt is a big part of the first episode.  I'd totally forgotten--at least on a conscious level).  Yep, I was delighted!  And, you know, it made me again think about the point I made about Harry Potter's world being more real to us than the thousands starving in the horn of Africa.  That private school in the Gilmore Girls world has certainly occupied more of my thoughts than any of the private schools around here!

Oh!  I forgot the original point I thought the blog was going to be about, and that has to do with frugality and environmentalism versus trendy styles!  Now, you might assume I'd weigh in heavier on the first end, at least theoretically, but I would like to point out that, while both are important, that frequency of use is a major consideration.  So, to my own surprise, I was more than willing to buy Fiona the cute, new notebooks and pencil bags and such, as she'll be using these every day.  Sure, we had perfectly serviceable stuff at home, and I was so proud of Alex for wanting to use these, but I even tried to persuade him to get a few things that he liked as well.  Enjoying the things we use most can make our experiences so much more pleasant...and that is important.

Not trying to persuade anyone to not be frugal, by any means!  However, I think our most-oft used items really should be a priority in the stylish/pricy/comfy category, you know?  So yay for Fiona and her sparkly purple binder!

AND, of course, hurrah for Alex reusing his perfectly serviceable blue binder from last year! 

I suppose that's why I particularly love items such as the neoprene lunch bags--BOTH trendy and eco-friendly in that you don't have to keep replacing them!