Back to School : 2005 vs. 2025

My 4-year-old just started Pre-K 4 this week. She was a little bit nervous walking in, clutching her backpack with wide eyes, but by the time I picked her up she was all smiles, exclaiming, “It was so fun!” I think we’re in for a good year ahead.

I couldn't help but notice: back-to-school in 2025 feels very different than it did twenty years ago.

These days, back-to-school is a whole production. New wardrobes. The “perfect” backpack. Labubu dolls on backpacks. I’ve older kids on social media sharing $10,000 back-to-school hauls. Ten. Thousand. Dollars. Meanwhile, my daughter’s class already has Stanley cups tucked in backpack side pockets and Lululemon scrunchies in little ponytails. Everything feels bigger, shinier, and a whole lot more commercial.

Back in 2005, it was much simpler. First of all I went to Catholic school, so the shopping list looked pretty different: fresh uniforms that actually fit, school supplies from the aisles of Target, and the one truly exciting splurge, new shoes (that you had to wear the whole year). That was the moment. At the time, Nike Shox were all the rage. They were one of the first sneakers I remember with a price tag north of $100, and if you got a pair. If you somehow convinced your parents to buy them for you, it felt like you had won the back to school lottery.

Today, $100 sneakers are the norm. It’s wild to think how what was once a major splurge has become just the baseline. After working in sourcing and manufacturing, I can tell you that most pairs cost under $10 to actually manufacture overseas, but parents still pay premium prices, sometimes multiple pairs per child per year.

So what changed?

Is it social media culture fueling the comparison game? Parents competing (consciously or not) to keep up with the Joneses, the Smiths, and every other family on the internet? Or is it just our consumer culture growing louder, shinier, and more relentless every year?

Whatever it is, I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic for the simplicity of feeling like you were on top of the world because you got your mom to buy you a Lisa Frank and a fresh back of Lip Smackers, and a sparkly pencil case.

Maybe that’s what I want for my kids too: not the biggest haul or trendiest sneakers, but those small, simple joys that make school feel special. When my daughter came home and said, “It was so fun,” I realized she didn’t need all the extras. She just needed the chance to learn, make friends, and start her own memories.

XOXO Effortlessly Sophisticated