We're still six days away from the start of the school year, and already my family has racked up nearly 500 dollars in fees. This does not include the back-to-school wardrobe for two teenage girls (you don't even want to know)---just school supplies and various fees. It's the cost of doing business and playing sports at a public high school.

And when your child plays a sport, you get caught in the fundraising game. Each team sells something to raise money. Our daughter's Soccer team is selling car wash tickets at ten dollars a pop, and our other daughter's volleyball team is selling a 2 for 1 pizza card for 20 dollars. So we're thirty dollars down right out of the gate, but it doesn't end there... Not even close.

Since Dan's parents bought one of the pizza cards, it's only right that we buy one of the entertainment books he's selling for the football team. And since Lindsey's mom and dad bought two car wash tickets, well, how can we not purchase the wrapping paper that Lindsey's big sister is selling for the cheer squad? Twenty five dollars.

It used to be so much easier when everyone sold "World's Finest Chocolate." Every family ended up with a gross of candy bars, but they were only two bucks apiece. Your only choice was with almonds, or without. Those were the days. We'd watch each other get fat all winter.

Education just isn't what it used to be.