There are so many school essentials that we packed in the container assuming we would have more than enough time to receive, unpack and be ready before the school holidays here would be over. But alas! It didn't happened as planned and we ended up having to buy some of the things to prepare them for their first day of school tomorrow.
Our biggest dilemma was whether to replace their school bags with new ones. As the bags are ergonomically designed, the price tag is high. We paid close to RM500 each after discount for their school bags 2 years ago in Malaysia. The bags here don't cost any cheaper either at €120 each. We couldn't bring ourselves to spend another bomb, it just doesn't make sense.
With 3 more days to go before school begins, we took a gamble and tried our luck at the flea market, hoping that someone would want to dispose their school bags for just a few euros. I think we could count ourselves exceptionally lucky when 2 women from 2 separate stalls were willing to part with their son's/grandson's bags for a mere €2 (shown above, right in the photo) and €3, after some negotiation.
The bags were used and dirty. They didn't look very appealing. Regardless, they were still in rather good condition. With a nice scrub, the bags should look just fine, I thought. And indeed they turn out more than just fine! I can't help but feel terribly proud of our hunts for quality goods that cost peanuts.
The rest of their stationeries are easily replaceable, and thank goddess it didn't burn a hole in our pockets. The booklist, though, cost quite a substantial amount but this is an expense that is unavoidable.
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