As new technology and environmental awareness are incorporated into formal education, some school supplies that were popular a generation ago are now considered a waste of money if purchased today. 

Be careful when dealing with these items because they can seem tempting at first and you don’t want to regret it later on. Here are the 10 back-to-school items that waste money:

New lunch boxes

Most lunch boxes are made durable, even though they can be from hard plastic. Unless there is structural damage or contamination, there is no need for new lunch boxes. 

Clipboards

Clipboards are useful when conducting a checklist. However, such activities are no longer typical in schools, rendering clipboards obsolete.

Notecards

Notecards are useful in a few instances, but they are rarely utilized. If necessary, buying in bulk with other students is preferred in order to fully utilize the leftover unused notecards. 

Backpacks

Backpacks are only a waste of money if you purchase them while your schooling kids are not prepared to handle them. It can affect children’s posture negatively, especially elementary kids.

Deluxe items

School items are not collection-worthy. As long as they are functional and made of good quality, they are all that you need. Therefore, deluxe versions of those items are just for showcasing.

Disposable supplies for lunch

These supplies are mainly single-use types. It will be better if the item can be reusable in order to promote environmental awareness. 

Candy

Candies not only can damage one’s teeth, they can also contribute to spiking blood sugar levels and that is terribly dangerous. 

Loose-leaf paper

The use of tablets and e-books in schools for visual assistance is growing. Purchasing page refills for traditional notebooks is thus unnecessary. 

Mechanical pencils

If the school’s curriculum doesn’t incorporate courses about drafting, mechanical pencils are impractical to have. 

Expensive gym shoes

A student can still perform well in Physical Education courses even though the shoes are not branded.