Back to School Gear

There's something about school supplies that drives me wild. Ever since I was a little girl in awe of the amazing Trapper Keeper and boxes of crayons as big as my head, I've been mesmerized by them and their promise.

When I see the back-to-school sales pop up (just a few days after school ends it seems), I get all sorts of giddy ... and I start shopping. I pick up a few things here. A few things there. I figure my kids are going to need them for years to come, and they're all just so shiny, bright, and tempting. So when there's a sale on pencils, I scoop them up. Glue sticks, scissors, and rulers, oh my, and into my basket they go.

Before I know it, I have enough school supplies to provide for the entire third grade (maybe part of the fourth too), and I must face the facts -- I'm a school supply hoarder. You may be too. Here are six signs: 

1. You get extremely territorial in the back-to-school aisle.

2. You hide your "stash" from your kids so you can ration the supplies out as you see fit ... and from your husband, because he just may call you out on your addiction if he saw it all.

3. You know that if there was ever an emergency, you could burn the boxes and boxes (and boxes!) of pencils you have for firewood.

4. You have purchased multiple protractors and compasses, and your kid is only just starting preschool.

5. When your kids head off to the first day of school with their backpacks filled with school supplies, you feel a sense of panic ... and race to the store to replenish.

6. You're still buying school supplies ... and your last kid graduated from college last year.

Are you a school supply hoarder?

Image via stevendepolo/Flickr