Here's where lots of parents spend WAY too much money on "back to school".School is not a fashion show.Yes,your child should have clean,decent and not ridiculously out of style clothes,but keeping up with whatever stupid trend they come up with this year is a waste of money and it encourages kids to believe that what you wear,or how you appear,is more important than your personality,character or academic performance.Spending a fortune on sneakers that they will outgrow in a few months just doesn't make sense.

This isn't the most important thing about school, but the social aspect shouldn't be ignored. Having some new clothes for the first week of school will likely boost your kid's self esteem among their peers. However, I wouldn't get carried away with the clothing, because kids are always growing and I'd rather space out my clothing purchases for them.