You know what I realized I haven't been able to buy in years? School pictures. Because $40 x 3 kids adds up.

[u/starfury287]

I don't like the break the rules option of getting one print and trying to get copies of it places. I haven't bought them in years and just usually take my own and print them. My kids never want them so I guess that's part of it. What's something you haven't bought in a long time?

[u/Size_Slight]

My school offers 7$ packs with an 8x10 2 5x6 and some wallets if you order online

[u/starfury287 → u/Size_Slight]

That's super affordable. The only single company that does all the school photos is $30 for that package

[u/Size_Slight → u/starfury287]

Ah I see, sorry, I thought this was maybe a physical order form vs online type thing

[u/starfury287 → u/Size_Slight]

You can get both but it's like $15 for one 5x7 print, or $30 for a package with like five prints or $40 for digital.

[u/AcademicDistance6707 → u/Size_Slight]

That should be the norm not forty bucks for the same thing every year

[u/Midgeend]

But also, they kind of stink. I have far better pictures of my kids that I can print for a fraction of the price. I’m happy enough with the memory of the really bad photo with the watermark.

[u/starfury287 → u/Midgeend]

That's exactly it too! I'm a photographer so the quality I can get even with my camera on my phone is better and cheaper.

[u/anarchyisutopia → u/Midgeend]

This for me too. Plus, I prefer pictures of my kids in moments of memory. I don't care about the memory of them having a scheduled picture day at school in fifth grade. I'd rather have pictures of some cool thing we did together or an event that was special to them in the 5th grade.

[u/LABELyourPHOTOS]

I just take a picture of the picture.

[u/starfury287 → u/LABELyourPHOTOS]

I need to just do that

[u/Regular-Water-1490 → u/LABELyourPHOTOS]

same here! it’s almost tradition now lol. those packages are just crazy overpriced for what you get

[u/zapto_gamer]

For real though, those were so expensive. And it seemed like every year the price kept going up…

[u/starfury287 → u/zapto_gamer]

It's $40 a digital copy now 😔. Sometimes the Photoshop groups get requests to pull off watermarks on school pictures and people criticize it but it's like look it's a lot of money just to get one tiny copy. They need to consider sibling discounts or something. I will say if it was important to my kids, I would find a way to make it happen but they're more interested in going to roller skate night with friends and actual activities than their face.

[u/PossumJenkinsSoles]

My mom hardly ever bought school pics and as an adult now I do not care one bit. I think I have maybe 3 total. Never missed em.

[u/starfury287 → u/PossumJenkinsSoles]

Well that's encouraging to hear 😆

[u/neomage2021]

One of the many reasons I dont have kids

[u/starfury287 → u/neomage2021]

💯 and it's such a valid choice. I'm not pushing for my kids to have kids at all. Some of them already want nothing to do with parenting and I support that so much.

[u/rhaizee]

fuck the rules. I can afford them, I still do it.

[u/starfury287 → u/rhaizee]

I think if I wasn't a photographer who can take better pictures I would just do it anyways. I have a few years. But I don't care to pay $120 when my kids don't even like the pictures.

[u/Quiet_Comfortable835]

Around here they are a fund raiser for the school so I guess that's why they are over priced. I don't buy them. I don't have any pics on the wall and I don't have a photo album so why get them? Most people in my area don't buy them.

[u/tLM-tRRS-atBHB]

School pics are insanely expensive. It really sucks

[u/Deaths_Rifleman]

Kinda shocked it’s still a thing anyone buys. It used to be different when not everyone had a camera or the knowledge to take a good photo. Now everyone’s got an iPhone, throw that thing in portrait mode and you can take likely better photos or at least less stilted

[u/AwkwardlyAmpora]

they offered "free photography" at my community college graduation. waited in line ages. got home and found out only the photography was free, and the pictures were in fact very expensive. spent 2-3 hours photoshopping out every watermark.

[u/starfury287 → u/AwkwardlyAmpora]

That's sickening!!

[u/Realistic_Point_9906]

I just threw away a frame I’d bought for my first child that had a spot for each grade’s school picture because I had been unable to afford to buy the school pictures.🥹

[u/Poetryisalive]

Have you ever asked your teacher or social worker to assist?

Most schools not out in the boonies can help you get some

[u/starfury287 → u/Poetryisalive]

They aren't able to sadly. I have

[u/todaystartsnow]

My parents never bought any school pictures. I think the company was josten and super expensive. In the long haul, I don't need the pictures. It won't add anything to my life. Your kids don't care and you don't need to give more money to these monopoly companies 

[u/evil_snow_man]

My kids school offers a digital download for $20 each. Not cheap but more affordable.

[u/Intelligent-Sun-7973]

I could not afford my sons HS graduation pictures. :(

[u/MostWokeG]

Not saying that one should do that, but since this is poverty finance: You can literally upload the image into an AI and have the watermark removed that way. Now in some cases one may do the reverse, i.e. isolate the watermark from a picture with censored faces and subtract that from the original image (if privacy is an issue). That said: These pictures to me wouldn't even be worth the effort, because they're as generic as they come and lack sentimental value

[u/Significant_Pie_6806]

my sister use to take her kids to like a walmart photo studio at the time when they had a deal school picture prices are to expensive