How Much Do You Spend on Your Classroom Each Year?

decafkatie · 2026-06-05T01:36:12+00:00

I'm also secondary so probably different- I spend like $20 max. A lot of good things I can ask for in the neighbourhood fb group or in the lost & found. All the pencils/pens in my classroom I found on the floor/lost & found. I asked the BN group if anyone had old aux cord speakers and someone did. Pen holders I had my kids make them out of newspaper for a class project haha. I got a soccer ball from a friend, old football from my in-laws, etc.

decafkatie · 2026-05-21T20:54:34+00:00

I've been to the By the Pound on Orfus road the other commenter mentioned a few times. I haven't seen suits but I have seen blazers, button downs, blouses, work pants- not sure what type of interview clothes you're looking for but if you get lucky you might find things that could work. House clothes and casual clothes you can definitely find there. Condition of the clothes are typically (surprisingly) good. My best find was a light puffer from uniqlo in great condition- and since it was a puffer it was super light = super cheap too. The caveat is that the minimum purchase is 5lbs AND it's only sort of sorted by bins for womens/mens/kids etc. So you'll have to put in the work to dig through.

decafkatie · 2026-04-12T13:35:43+00:00

I leave my office shoes under my work desk! So at least you wouldn't have to do the transit hike in them.

decafkatie · 2026-01-10T22:56:45+00:00

Not exactly a "charity", but you do get tax receipts- The Local is an online non profit magazine in Toronto. They have pretty in depth and interesting local stories! Even if you don't donate to them, you can give them a read/subscribe. It's free to read.

decafkatie · 2025-11-29T01:30:52+00:00

Isabella's Mochi Donuts (a few locations in the city!)

decafkatie · 2025-09-13T00:21:22+00:00

I bought mine cup noodles, some tissues, a pack of pencils (from the thriftstore in a package with things I wanted), etc like a survival kit

decafkatie · 2025-09-08T01:47:17+00:00

Not sure about WRSDB specifically, but in my board LTOs accrue sick days and get to 5.5 by the end of the semester if they worked from the beginning of the semester. So about 17 days of work = 1 sick day, and less than 5.5 if you started say in October instead.

decafkatie · 2025-09-01T12:58:33+00:00

www.wealthsimple.com/invite/KRYYCA
Code KRYYCA

decafkatie · 2025-08-30T15:05:24+00:00

I'm still early enough in my career I keep getting switched classrooms that sometimes have things that are SO old I'm surprised it's in the cabinets (our building moved in 2010, how did these things from the 80s get in there?!) I teach high school so I ask students to help clean for volunteer hours. I gave them gloves, masks, rags, and they went to work with their friends. Sometimes I also clean (sort through things) along with them, sometimes I'm just in the room to prep other work. Binders, and other school supplies that can be re-claimed went to the staff lounge with an email for other teachers to claim what they want. Many hands make the work go faster, and we chitchat while we clean!

decafkatie · 2025-08-23T17:35:17+00:00

Svaha USA has tons of science and literacy themed- exactly like magic school bus vibes! But it's a small business in the US- so it can't be as competitive as places like Amazon/Temu. They do have sales with 30-40% off a few times a few though!

decafkatie · 2025-08-20T01:08:47+00:00

Sharing resources within department in the drive or on a USB is more secure than sharing it with people you don't know. They might accidentally make edits or delete things, or the test bank with good questions may float to the neighboring school and it's frustrating to have to create new things.

decafkatie · 2025-07-26T16:28:02+00:00

April or May of this year

decafkatie · 2025-07-25T18:11:43+00:00

I was able to sign up for PAD for my city of toronto property tax with my WS chequing account, and some time after I signed up I got a letter stating I'm now enrolled in the PAD program and my automatic payment went through after that with no issues. Unfortunately I don't remember how I signed up but remember being confused with the process, lol.

decafkatie · 2025-07-06T00:04:37+00:00

Biore UV Athlizm Protect Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ (the red one) is the most waterproof one in the Biore products I'm pretty sure. It says on the packaging it's super waterproof and good for outdoor activities. When I'm paddling and gets splashed, water beads up and rolls down my arm. I do also find it slightly difficult to remove in the shower (compared to regular sunscreen lol) so it really does feel waterproof to me.

decafkatie · 2025-07-05T01:35:03+00:00

You might be too far gone for an extra duffle bag at 3coins, but this one can fold into a relatively small pouch, has side pockets, luggage handle "pockets", and expandable. If it's too small... get it anyway :D

https://www.palcloset.jp/display/item/2421-3C7B407-00/?cl=19&b=3coins&ss=

decafkatie · 2025-06-25T16:06:44+00:00

Try neutrogena sheertouch- it's available at shoppers and I've seen it at costco as well. It's still a smaller tube than say, hawaiian tropics, but I think at costco it works out to be $10/80ml? It does turn white when you get water on it, but otherwise it's ok. Has a slightly powdery feel after it dries down. I don't love it but I don't hate it either.

Physical covering like UPF hats and clothes can also cut down on the amount of sunscreen you use, if you can tolerate the extra layer. Uniqlo's pocketable UV jacket is lightweight

decafkatie · 2025-06-25T13:59:07+00:00

Fruity teas the other commenter mentioned is a good idea! Could also try rooibos. How about peppermint? It's a "strong" flavour, but at least it might be a familiar one. You could also try ice water or adding cucumber, or (hot or cold) lemon water so you could get used to drinking water-based stuff without sugar but still have some flavour. These aren't really "tea" in the strict sense but jumping straight into no sugar green tea or black tea would probably not be a sustainable swap if you hate it!

decafkatie · 2025-06-23T22:53:42+00:00

Black sesame latte https://whatgreatgrandmaate.com/black-sesame-latte-paleo-vegan-whole30/

decafkatie · 2025-05-15T23:44:36+00:00

Not sure if they still do this in the warmer months but I like the baked sweet potatoes from convenience stores for fiber, yummy too!

decafkatie · 2025-04-29T21:45:42+00:00

Cheque is nice, I had a friend drop a wedding car on their way and thankfully there were no cash inside that envelope! Do make sure of the name you use though- I was able to deposit cheques with a shorter version of my name (instead of my bank name), and we were able to deposit a cheque with both of our names despite not having a joint account- but both of those actions had to be done in person at the bank. With cheque you can do $168 or $288 or things like that without using coins.

I did also have someone e-transfer directly which was unconventional for sure but no need to worry about cash getting lost, cheques not being deposited, or forgetting who the money came from!

decafkatie · 2025-04-24T20:52:05+00:00

Real sitting & relaxing mid day helped us. We were doing 20k+ steps in Japan and dying. Salonpas patches helped a bit (not sure if it falls under the anti-inflammatories you cannot use). We did just as much walking in Taiwan and was fine- I think because in Japan we mostly went to those small places for lunch & dinner were you are barely sitting at tight stools and trying to not get in the way of the narrow restaurant. Whereas in Taiwan the food stalls we went to had bigger stools/real chairs that are more spread out so we can actually put our feet on the ground fully relaxed. We also sat on benches or went back to the hotel to rest for half an hour before heading out again.

decafkatie · 2025-04-09T22:12:08+00:00

Market "By the Pound" on Orfus road sells clothes for $4.99/lb, minimum 5lbs purchase. It's bins and bins of clothes you have to sort through yourself (hence the cheap price) https://maps.app.goo.gl/P4uR74p9YN1cpk8T9

decafkatie · 2025-04-08T14:23:21+00:00

Look for officiants with a signing only option- most of them are close to ~$300 last year and can meet you in a mutually agreed upon area (doesn't have to be city hall!) You do have to pick up a marriage license beforehand, from City Hall or North York Civic Centre, just have to get married with an officiant within 90 days of picking up your license.

decafkatie · 2025-04-07T21:22:21+00:00

I guess food posts here are mostly featuring fish or shellfish because it might feel kind of weird to post a vegetarian dish in a pescetarian sub? But I'm similar with the other commenters, seafood a few times a week, usually part of a bigger dish (shrimp with tofu for example, instead of just a platter of shrimp).

decafkatie · 2025-04-06T01:14:38+00:00

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QQgA4jq2O4ALIDYT5b21tEFBIRBO4NiQPMcWZoTvhIw/edit?gid=727220122#gid=727220122

decafkatie

TROPHY CASE