A secondary goal for this website is to keep track of how much money I spend on my classroom each year. I spent $ on last year’s Supply List.
I think people realize teachers spend their own money on their classroom, but maybe not how much we actually spend. I was doing pretty good last year until January and we started PSSA Prep; I took it as a personal challenge to prove to my principal that we didn’t need her help to get the kids to pass (especially since she offered NO suggestions). I spent as much at Becker’s as I had spent on teacher books the whole year before! When I added up my receipts at tax time, the total was a little bit lower than the previous year, but not by much!
Here’s what I’ve spent so far this summer getting ready for next school year:
Summer Receipts:
6/13/09 Six three-packs of books to use in Literature Circles next year, inlcuding one of my favorite children’s novels, The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John; gotta love Scholastic! $54.00
6/20/09 Reading Olympics novels to add to the classroom library: $40.63
6/20/09 I found Thesauruses (thesauri?) in the Dollar Section at Target! I bought all twelve they had!!! (Plus I found some pens, pencils, notepads and Princess multiplication flashcards for prizes next year): $
New Expo marker set: $12.99 FREE ‘cuz my mom bought it for me 
6/29/09 Renewed ASCD membership: $89.00
6/29/09 G-Force: The Junior Novel: $4.23
7/02/04 8 Thesauruses, 2 books and 1 pack of Dr Seuss pins all from the Dollar Section: $11.66
7/04/09 Moon Quest from the Choose Your Own Adventure series; it was the only book PC#3 could write about for his bookmark, and I loved these books as a kid, so I told him he could write about it and I would find the book. I’m too nice, especially since these books are $6.99! Thank goodness for my discount. $5.93
7/12/09 30 orange pronged folders with pockets for Reading: $4.50
7/12/09 Salmon copy paper for my Homework Charts: $
7/14/09 Target’s Dollar Section is dangerous! They had tons of pencil and eraser packs in Superman, Supergirl, Lisa Frank, and the Cat in the Hat; I’m stocking up on things I can use as prizes. $
7/14/09 Found 14 more thesauruses @Target when I went back into the store to buy the one things I had gone in for! $14.84
7/14/09 Two more books in the Vet Volunteers series: $11.85
What a good idea! This is my first time in a classroom, after being a push-in and I spent hundreds, easily. It’s insane.
I know!!! Every year I say I’m not going to buy anything, and last year I did manage to go the whole school year without setting foot in Becker’s (teacher store here – boy do I miss Lakeshore!). Even though I don’t buy many, or last year any, teacher books, I’m a sucker for new novels for my classroom library. My pile of receipts is looking large, so I’m not really looking forward to totalling them up for taxes!