New school bag and lunchbox every September?

[AvocadoHo]

Light hearted debate with OH.

Making a list of school uniform needed for daughter (8) going back to school.

He rolled his eyes snd asked "why does she need a new bag? What's wrong with the one she has?"

Nothing is wrong with it, it's just a bit grubby and battered. But when I was growing up we had a new bag and lunch box every year. He feels this is excessive.

Is it really that uncommon?

DD got a new one because she ripped the straps off her old rucksack. She'll be taking this one to uni if it lasts (she's 11!). D's got one in ks2 when they were allowed rucksacks. They're no longer allowed bags so he uses it for weekend hiking. We have 3 lunch bags between 4 of us and a variety of bendo boxes/ice cream tubs depending on what people are eating.

I dont get why you'd buy a new bag just because it's september - if you had a few kids you could end up with loads of packpacks after just a few years. Why!?

But I also have never understood why some people apparently buy new uniform just because its September..

Maybe it leads into adults that have to buy new coat/boots every winter / new outfits every season?

My daughter has had a new one every September. Usually smiggle and it's a huge deal
For her, she loves fashion accessories etc. My son has had the same bag since reception, 5 years now, no way my daughter could have kept a bag as long!

I'm 49 and I'm still using the small rucksack that I remember buying for school in the September before I started 6th form.

I think buy things when the old ones wear out. It's so wasteful to keep replacing constantly. Especially things like plastic lunchboxes.

Mine still use the lunch bags they had in Reception - I wash them termly in the washing machine and they are still perfectly fine. I did offer DS a new one when he started y7, but he liked his existing one.

School bags, DS is going into year 9 with bag he had new in year 7, Dd has a 3 year old bag, and will have for one more year of primary, then get new for y7.

Water bottles on the other hand, they seem to need a new one every year!

No wonder we have a landfill problem.

Something nice and new for a new year - makes it more exciting / bearable

No way! What a waste of money and the world's resources. My children's are replaced when they start to fall apart - my son had his Spider-Man lunchbox from his first day in nursery to his last day in Y6!!

No! Only if they are worn out or grown out.

As kids we got new everything every year. This is not the case with my kids, they get what they need when they need it. I buy Jansport bags and they should do them for an eternity.

We only replace clothes, bags, shoes etc when they need it. If it broke in January would you refuse to replace it because it wasn't the start of the new school year? So why do people automatically replace them annually for a new school year? It's wasteful.

I'm Team DH. DS has had the same Sistema lunchbox since Reception and he's now going into Year 9. He's had a few bags over the years, mainly due to having character ones when he was younger but he's had the same plain black one now since Primary. Yes, it all looks a bit battered but it's all still functional and able to be cleaned well so he's going to carry on using it.
I agree with previous posters...for the sake of the planet we have to stop over consuming and buying stuff for the sake of it.

Awful mindset. Let's keep buying plastic lunchboxes, bags, drinks bottles, pencil cases etc and chuck it away every September whether we need to or not. Ramp this up to other aspects of the thoughtless 'must have latest accessory' times we live in and it's quite frightening.

Only as necessary. My sons bag is going into his third year of secondary.

Polo shirts for primary school replaced more frequently. Shoes as and when needed.

Why spend money unnecessarily and why be waste environment wise?

I'm with your DH - it's unnecessary and environmentally wasteful BUT I also remember the pressure of fitting in at school. Hopefully things are changing and one day it will be 'cool' to be the one who's school bag has lasted the longest but it's unfair to make your daughter be the one to try and the world alone. Perhaps a good compromise would be a new school bag (if you can afford it) and donating the old, but perfectly usable one, to the charity shop or to somewhere like Mary's Meals so that another, less fortunate child, can also have the pleasure of a 'new' school bag.

Apart from starting new schools I only replaced as required. Sometimes that was more than once a year!

Mine don't get a new one each year. Dd1 is getting one this year, but didn't last year, I was able to wash it and it came up really well this year I just can't get it to look clean (pale pink so really grubby). The lunchbox inside is the same she has had for the last 3 years. Dd2 got a new bag last year and will be using it again this year along with the lunchbox inside. They also have the same water bottles.

Wasteful. DD used her book bag from Reception until nearly the end of Y1, when we agreed a rucksack would be more practical. She picked a very nice rucksack, DS will be using her book again in September.

New socks every year. Everything else was when needed.

@CoronaPeroni

If you carry on using them, hard plastics can be better for the environment, I'm using my DD's lunchbox from infants (Dora the explorer) for work and she's at university

Monday: IPCC issues code red for humanity and the climate emergency.
Tue-Fri: heatwaves, floods, disasters.
Saturday: lol, lighthearted debate but should we buy a reusable item annually because sentiment?

I’d say “burn the world” but we already are. (Sorrynotsorry not feeling very lighthearted tbqh)

We would always get a new school bag but that was usually because I had a cheap one in the first place and the straps would get worn. Considering how little kids have been in school this year (presuming you are UK based) I would just wash and reuse the bag unless it is worn and by that I mean either the trim is coming off, straps are frayed etc.

The planet is fucked.

@burritofan

Monday: IPCC issues code red for humanity and the climate emergency. Tue-Fri: heatwaves, floods, disasters. Saturday: lol, lighthearted debate but should we buy a reusable item annually because sentiment?

I’d say “burn the world” but we already are. (Sorrynotsorry not feeling very lighthearted tbqh)

Spot on!!

(also I'm not rich enough to replace perfectly serviceable items just because of the date)

I only replace bags and lunch bags/boxes when necessary. I wash bags and mend anything that needs it, it is so unnecessary to replace something just because its the start of a new school year.