How many school librarians pay for school items with their own money? Almost 97 percent, according to a recent SLJ poll on out-of-pocket spending. Among 353 respondents, most (34.3 percent) spent $100–$249 in the last 12 months. The next largest group, 23 percent, expended between $250 –$499. Four respondents—1.2 percent—spent $1,500–$1,999. Where does the money go? The top three categories were books (84.3 percent), office supplies (71.8 percent), and prizes and giveaways (65.7 percent). More than 56 percent bought arts and crafts supplies, while 23.5 percent purchased games, and 17.2 percent paid for media (audiobooks, videos, and CDs). More than eight percent bought electronic equipment, while others paid for author expenses, furniture, library decorations, bookmarks, bulletin board materials, ink cartridges, plush animals, and more. Elementary school librarians spent, on average, $409 over the last year, while middle and junior high school librarians used $423 of their own funds, and high school librarians doled out $248. Overall, the average out-of-pocket sum was $353. Teachers in general spend an average of $458 annually, according to the donorschoose.org, a crowdfunding site designed for public school teachers. Another new venue for buying, selling, and raising money is Teachwise, an online marketplace developed by Frontline Technologies, a producer of Web-based software for the K-12 educators. “Teachwise provides a resource to assist teachers in educational planning while helping others supplement their income,” according to a release. Until 2014, teachers who dug into their wallets were eligible for a tax break called the educator expense deduction, an above-the-line item of amounts up to $250 used toward classroom expenses. Currently, educators can deduct classroom expenses such as computer equipment, books, and supplies as itemized deductions, or unreimbursed employee expenses, per the tax preparation site taxsamaratin.com. Other materials that librarians buy with their own money, according to the SLJ Survey, include tissues, cleaning supplies, pumpkins, puppets, candy, and book bins, as well as conference registration fees and conference-related gas and hotel expenses.