i've spent more on back-to-school than i've ever spent at christmas and that's including the time we went to florida to avoid the in-laws!!! it's bad enough that they have grown and need all new. clothes and there are the school supplies and then they get to school and the teachers all have special requests for supplies they can't live without and then there are the fees for everything and photo days and hot lunches and emergency kits and calculators they could take with them to work at the NASA space station and then the extra-curricular sign-ups and new soccer cleats and hockey gear and dance shoes and the fees when we cash in our retirement savings and re-mortgage the house!