I had several readers write in about backpacks and their warranties and other ideas like this:
I know this may sound "expensive" but I bought each of my 3 children a backpack from LLBean. They were $45.00 each. The beauty of all of this is that , LLBean replaces the backpack if anything happens to it.
My daughter is now a college grad and still has the back packet, it was replaced 3 different times, without question by the company. I felt it ws a very wise buy.
P.S.I mailed it back, but they reimbursed for the S/H costs. Quite a Deal From: Rhonda
As I said in my Land’s End backpacks article, it is still not worth it to buy a $45-$60 backpack even if it lasts a lifetime.
We look all year long for backpacks in new or near new condition at the thrift store and yard sales and find them for $1-$2. Even if I had to buy a new one or two each year this would only be $12-$24 instead of $45-$60 so financially it’s not worth it.
Tawra
Reader Tips
I had to share the rule when I was growing up. My mom would provide the first backpack, lunch box etc, but if I needed another one due to neglect, abuse, etc, it was my responsibility to replace it. I learned very early to take care of my possessions. From: Anonymous
I am new to the web site and love the ideas. Just a thought after reading the most recent newsletter re: school supplies. I bought my son a Jansport backpack in 3rd grade. Pricey I know, but he is a senior this year and still uses this pack. It will easily get through this year an into college next year(if he wants!) It cost $26 back then. I just found a new one online for 24.95. And i am sure yard sales offer them MUCH cheaper. Oh, and I think they have a 100% lifetime warranty, so you can replace a broken bag. Thanks for helping me make the most of what I make! From: Anonymous
Note from Tawra: I have tried finding the Jansport backpacks but haven’t seen them here. If it’s $25 then that might be worth it.
Now, having said that…I am tired of cheap "made in China" junk and wish more companies would actually make products that last like they used to. Why is it grandma has her toaster from 50 years ago and I have to get a new one every couple of years? (Ok, I do know why, it’s so you will buy more stuff but it’s still irritating!)
I do have to say that if I couldn’t find it used and if I had the money, I would buy the one that would last so I didn’t have to keep buying it over and over. But… from a strictly financial point it’s not worth it to pay a huge price for a backpack when you can find then at thrift stores for a couple of bucks, especially when you are trying to get out of debt or need to save money. If money is no object for you then by all means by the expensive backpack.
Photo by: jamieanne
I agree with the LL Bean endorsement. I bougt three backpacks a few years ago and one had to be replaced. They last FOREVER. They take a beating and wash up nicely. I love being able to throw them in the washer.
If you live close to one of the outlet stores, you can get a mis-monogrammed one for half-price. I bought one of those for $12.00 and it’s going on 5 years old and looks brand new.
I can’t say enough about LL Bean quality and customer service. They rock! Yes, it’s an up-front cost but you get what you pay for and in this case, it’s WELL WORTH IT!
Hi Tawra,
I have been keeping up on all your moving etc. Whew! I’m glad things are fixed.
Anway, about B.T.S expenses. My son is starting K and his school has a uniform. They are pretty good about the bottoms-just Khaki or Navy, so I have been able to find shorts he likes on sale, but the shirts he has to wear are so expensive. $40 bucks!! for just three that you have to buy from the uniform co. and since they are so expensive you never see them at any sales b/c everyone holds onto them for younger siblings. So unfortunatly your stuck.
As for classroom supplies, a few weeks ago Walgreens had a great sale. I got $30 worth of supplies for $9, plus I have a mail-in rebate for 4 free notebooks. I made sure I picked up his list as soon as it came out so I could keep checking the Sunday ads for the best deals.
I am going to have to check out the LL Bean bags after my son is done with his Spiderman phase :) At least I got that backpack on sale at Walmart for $5. Take care.
Debbie in Ft. Lauderdale :)
I usually buy backpacks on target clearance in early to mid September. I get them for between $3 and $5. I have purchased ahead in the past, but if I don’t have one, they just use the one from last year until they go on clearance.
Another thing to watch for when it comes to backpacks is sporting events. As silly as it seems every year for the past 4 years now my grandsons have each got a new backpack and lunch box just by going to a minor league baseball game with their Aunt Carol and Uncle Chuck. The Round Rock Express has family Sunday events in August and they give away NICE backpacks with the Express logo on it. Last year it had Coke on it too but for free who cares? Also a nice metal lunch box with Express on one side and a child eating a hot dog (Mrs. Baird’s bread) No it is not Spider Man or Bratz, but then again it was free, it is local and it works well. So watch your papers, even if we had to buy tickets to the game it would have just cost us $7.00 each to go. (kids are free on family day) It was fun, the kids love the backpack and lunch box and it supports a local activity. Baseball, what is more American than that?
I too have a Purple Jansport Backpack with a leather bottom for 12 years now going strong. :)
I bought my 23 year old son a LL Bean backpack 10 years ago when he started 8th grade and got it monogrammed so no one else could walk off with it. He used it all through college and is still using it when he takes a plane trip. He takes good care of his things, and I never had to send it back to them. Buying a good quality backpack saved me a lot of money. I understand the Lands End back packs are equally good.
I have had an Eddie Bauer backpack since I was 14. I just turned 24, and this backpack has lasted me through high school and five years of college, not to mention numerous vacations and trips. It is still as sturdy as the day I got it — I think it’s worth the investment to buy a higher-quality bag that will stand the test of time.
I aggree that the high quality pack is definately worth it. I got my LL Bean back pack in high school and it’s still going strong 15 years later. My son inheritated his couzin’s LL Bean pack and it is like new…I’m sure it’ll last him all through school and beyond I would never question the purchase of a bag from LL Bean.
I’ve not been lucky enough to find backpacks in good shape in my yardsale and thrift store search, nor do I have the time to really search. You bring up a good point if you can find them then by all means buy it! If not then buying it once at even 50 dollars is a savings when you are talking about buying a couple of the cheap ones a year. I will definately be keeping my eyes out though because if I can get one for cheap and have it replaced still yet if something happens to it, that is a good deal. My kids like to have different ones to switch back and fourth and its just killing them that they have to use the same one that’s in mint condition because everyone else gets new ones every year. If it’s cheap I don’t mind indulging their want, but otherwise they will get over it or buy it themselves! LOL!
I purchased 2 backpacks at Children’s Place for $3.00 ea after school started 5 years ago. They are still in perfect condition. I’ve seen the others spoke of and I feel the stitching is much better. They clean up very nice in the washing machine and hang dry. My daughter uses one and I use the other. They are used year round not just for school!
Generally, I’m a girl who loves quality, and I’ll always choose ONE pair of shoes that are classy and will *last* rather than 3 or 5 pairs that are cheap, uncomfortable, and fall apart halfway through the season. Same with purses, clothes, furniture, bedding, dishes, etc….I guess I just don’t like change that much, LOL!
But the thing I don’t get about pricey backpacks for kids: don’t they get bored with the same one year after year?? Even if it is high-quality and still in good condition? I know that when I was a child, the NEW (well, second-hand) backpack at the beginning of the school year was a big deal! In fact, when I look back through my mother’s pictures (she never organized or labeled photos!), sometimes the only way I can tell what year it was–or whether it was my sister or myself–was because of the backpack!
I get buying something for the long haul (no pun intended, lol!) once you reach high school or college age, and I definitely think there’s a savings (financially speaking and in terms of sanity!) in buying quality luggage such as briefcases, computer bags, suitcases, diaper bags, purses, etc rather than having to replace them every 6 months to a year.
But I know my kids get so excited about something new-to-them. We homeschool, so we don’t use backpacks much and don’t have one for each child, but we do get pencil bags, art cases, etc. And while we could make do with last year’s quite often, I feel that just the excitement of NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!! OMG!!! is a fun way to kick off a new year of learning. Maybe even more important with homeschooling, because it gives a tangible, visible reminder that even though the dining room table is the same, I’m now in 4th grade, instead of 3rd!
I have to totally agree with you Sarah. There is nothing like new school supplies. To this day I usually buy myself an new box of crayons and sometimes a pencil box just for fun. I know I need to grow up.
I wonder about the same thing when people buy the top of the line carpet, couches and things like that which is suppose to last for 20-30 years. First of all I love to decorate to much to keep the same thing for that long, also to have to live with that same color -even beige- for so long and then I usually move and last but not least even the most neutral carpet can become dated. I don’t know how many people in the 70’s bought lifetime shag carpet and you know what people think of that now.
Plus I agree, kids taste change. My granddaughters love completely different colors and styles now then even 2 years ago. You hit it right on the target with your post.
Also I am still sitting here trying to figure out what the big deal is and why so many are commenting on backpacks and how to save. If you can’t afford one don’t buy one. If you were as desperate as I was years ago trying to save on a backpack was the least of my worries and needs. Trust me. I have said it before I went through all my school years with out one backpack and carried books for 8 classes for my 4 years of high school and didn’t die of anything and when it comes to kindergarteners and 1st graders usually their backpack is more bulky and heavy then the few papers and 1-2 books they have to carry. It’s insane. Whew!! Sorry I had to get that off of my chest.
I am going to agree with the LL Bean endorsement! I’ve had my LL Bean backpack for 20 years (only one free replacement 6 years in). My parents bought it for me when I was 14 and paid $38 back then. I’m now 35. I used it 5 days a week at least 45 weeks a year until last year when I bought a laptop that I couldn’t fit into it. I still use it otherwise, though it’s starting to wear through on the bottom (I dragged it on the concrete floor several times back in college before I ‘knew better’!). Cost per year? Roughly $1.80.
My plan is to buy a new roughly $45 LL Bean backpack this fall (the largest one, because it fits my laptop) and I plan on using it 5 days a week September through May until I retire from my position as a University faculty member (hopefully 40 years from now). That’s roughly $1.12 per year.
In my humble opinion, buying something just because it may be a bit more expensive is not necessarily being frugal. I’d rather spend the money once and not have to spend the time, effort or money again (at $2-3/backpack per year for 4 people that’s about $8-$12/year – more expensive than my $4/year) as well as knowing that my backpack is going to hold up to the wear and tear that it will get at school by both me and my children. Just my opinion.
And yes, I realize that if you only have $2 to spend on a backpack you should by all means buy the $2 backpack. However, there are many, many people out there who spend $6-$12 per year or more than once per year for a backpack too. That wouldn’t be frugal either.
Thanks for ‘listening’,
Lea
My exhusband got a jansport backpack for his freshman year in highschool. it lasted 4 years of highschool, and was used for 6 years as a diaper bag for our two kids. after they were potty trained, it was the sleepover, or bring snacks in to the movie theater bag, after that, my ex used it as his “man purse” and still uses it to this day. he is 33. he got it at 14. it even survived being ran over when he left it on the roof of the car!! grandparents have bought the kids the backpacks for the last 4 years, and last year, i asked them if they could buy a jansport so it would last. they werent able to, so this year i will. you can get jansport bags at a sporting goods store for $25-$65 depending on the style.
I buy antiques and top of the line rugs for my house and I expect never to change them. They’re classic designs and they will never go out of style. I’ve had a patterned wool carpet for the past 15 years in my living room and it’s survived innumerable puppies (I usually have three dogs) and two kids and still looks brand new. A wool carpet can always be cleaned much more easily and spots gotten rid of better than any synthetic, no matter what they tell you about stain protection. Most of my furniture is a hundred years old and will easily last another hundred.
I never had a backpack growing up. People just didn’t. I did have a book strap to help carry my books, though!