$3000 for a school laptop? I was thrilled to have pencils

Back to school lists seem to have gotten out of hand.

Forget going back to school with laptops - once upon a time just having a set of pencils was a big win. Picture: Tom Huntley

BACK to school.

It's stunning how much can be packed into those three simple words.

Excitement. Fear. Nostalgia. Dread. Relief.

Like a well-packed circus clown car, the feelings just keep rolling out with a smile and wave - right up until Financial Pain finally slips out from behind the wheel and shows his gloating face.

The cost of back to school items seems to be getting out of hand. Picture: Contributed

Once, you were king of the hill (or a total nerd) if you rocked up with laminated books, an unbroken ruler and a pen that could switch between four different colours.

And if your calculator had an off button as well as one to turn it on, the Gods themselves did tremble.

But now the $10 calc is old hat, replaced by a new flavour: laptops.

Some students are returning to school with $3000 laptops. Picture: Pexels

Parents have been paying up to $3000 for them to get Little Jimmy ready for the year ahead.

To think I was pig-in-mud thrilled the year I got the full 30 coloured pencils, no longer relying on the otherwise pointless white one to achieve the perfect shade of amaranth purple.

You used to be king of the hill if your calculator could be turned off as a well as on. Picture: Warren Lynam

This is not the only question of excess, either.

I've heard rumours some schools ask their young students to rock up with eight glue sticks.

Even when I ate mine I'd still max out at using two for the year.

What're the other six for? An end-of-year feast?

Originally published as $3000 for a school laptop? I was thrilled to have pencils