Back and forth to school...

We have had our school supplies all set for a few weeks, minus the backpacks. We weren't sure what type to buy. Ashlyn carries a huge amount of books, folders, and binders back and forth because of all the homework she does on Tues and Thurs. Last year, we bought a pink suitcase on Target for $20 and it barely made it through the school year. We had decided to spend a little more this year, hoping that the quality of the more expensive bag would last longer. Well, this year we decided to try something new - a rolling cooler. It's the red one in the middle above and was $30. It seems to be very sturdy as well as just the right size for all her 5th grade books.

Caleb went with a nice black rolling backpack (the one on the left) from JCPenney's during the tax free weekend while it was 60% off. I think this one will definitely last 2 years. He loves that it becomes a regular backpack too, which he says he will use sometimes. It was the most expensive of all 3 backpacks at about $50.

Joshua was able to replace his old Target suitcase with a new one (the one on the right). Because the zipper broke in May right when school was ending (we bought it in April), we took it in this summer with our receipt and got a new one for free ($20 savings). We are not sure how long this one will last, but at least we will get some more use out of it since we bought it at the end of the school year last year hoping to use it this coming year.

So we have 3 different types of backpacks for school...I wonder which one will last the longest and which will be the best decision...the suitcase, cooler, or backpack...we will keep you posted...