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In our area, the
made-up snow days at the end of the school year made this past year seem
long. Therefore, it's a bit jarring to be thinking about back to
school supplies already. However, planning ahead can help prevent a lot of the headache in back to school
shopping. Many times the quest for new supplies and clothes can
seem like an endless scavenger hunt that quickly eats through money in
the bank! Below we have compiled a few tips on how to keep the
costs low, as well as things to consider when deciding on which supplies
will best fit your student's needs. We have also taken a
look at a few of the activities you can still be doing the final days of
summer to keep your child's mind sharp and ready to jump into the next
grade. Students on average lose a month of learning during summer
vacation and can lose over two months of learning for harder subjects.*
Luckily, there are ways to battle the summer brain drain while still having fun!
*"Summer Vacation Slide" by Barbara Pytel
Back to School Supplies
Armed with a supply list provided by the school, it
is time to begin the scavenger hunt. As you look for supplies for your
children, below are a couple items to keep in mind.
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 Waste
Not, Want Not Take a look through left over supplies from last
school year. Did older children leave something the younger
ones can use? Where certain supplies never used or still
have some life left in them? Do some supplies just need new
batteries, lead, erases or other refills? Also, check older
items that may be spruced up a bit with stickers, photos, etc. - it
makes for a fun project for the younger kids and can help get them
excited about going back for the next year.
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School Supply Closet If
you don't already have one, set up a supply closet/space where you can
keep old and new supplies all year round. Here you can keep
packets of pencils and stacks of paper or notebooks that you know
will be used throughout the year. Buy commonly used
items in bulk and you will save in the long run.
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Collect Year Round Now
that you have a School Supply Closet set up in your home, you can
more easily take advantage of deals as they arise during the year.
With a place to neatly keep school items you will have a better idea
of what you need more of as you shop. Although Back to School sales
can be good, you may find even greater bargains at the end of the
season or during clearance sales.
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"Ouch! My back!"
Backpacks are often overloaded with school supplies and can cause
back pain and muscle soreness for students of all ages. A
backpack should only be 10-20% of the student's weight. If a
smaller student is expected to carry a lot, then you may
consider getting a rolling backpack.
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"But everyone else has
one..." The plaintive cry of so many children around the
country. But be strong - get only what your child really needs
for school. Get supplies that are basic and therefore timeless.
Fancy cartoon or pop-icon covered supplies are short lived. If you
do get them, only get a few that you are certain your child will use
before they become "unfashionable."
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Quality is still #1 You
can shop cheap without going so generic all you get is poor quality.
You don't want to buy supplies that will break, leak, rip, or fall
apart before the end of the first week. (I still remember a black
glued notebook I had in high school that literally just fell apart
at the seems with paper scattered about the floor - not fun!)
Make sure there is some quality in the products you buy. Keep
in mind how roughly binders may be handled, how pens may be shoved
at the bottom of a backpack and how that same backpack will be
tossed, dropped, kicked, lugged, shoved and zipped/unzipped more
times than worth counting.
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Batteries not Included
Avoid gimmicky and flashy supplies that twirl and light up. Teachers
find these are very distracting in the classroom. If you do
get a fun item like this, keep it at home where it can make the
homework blahs a bit more fun.
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Accounting 101 As your
children get older, include them in the budget planning.
Working together on budgeting for supplies will teach your students
how to prepare and why all the flashy supplies may not be worth it.
You will soon find your child will learn to appreciate the cheaper
supplies so they may budget for one or two more fancy items.
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Organization 101 Along
the same lines as Accounting 101, sit down with your older
children and take the time to recall what worked or didn't work last
year for their learning. Did they find note cards useful and
need more this year? Did color coding subjects help or would
an all in one binder be more useful? Are they still struggling
and need to try something new?
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Munch a Lunch Increasingly, online
access allows parents not only to review the menu but to check their
child's account and upload more funds when necessary. Many
schools are also adopting healthier menus. If you don't have a
picky eater, this may be the most convenient option. However,
if you do have a picky eater in the house or if your child has any
food allergies or dietary restrictions, then packing a lunch is the
better way to go. Buying food and snacks in bulk has decreased
the grocery bills of many households. With a bit of
pre-planning, you may actually save money if packing lunches with
items you know your children will eat. For growing teenagers
with insatiable appetites, giving them as many snacks as possible
can help curb the fast food purchases and the extra expense of
impulse hunger-buys.
Packing
Get a good, strong lunch bag. Brown paper bags don't
hold up well and are not environmentally friendly. A good
lunch bag will protect other items from spills and with a small ice
pack can keep food at a safe temperature until eaten. Free
Tupperware is good (i.e. sandwich meat containers) however they only
have so long to live after being tossed around in a lunch bag. Good
containers is a worthwhile investment as they will be used 5 days a
week to pack a healthy and full meal!
Munchies Include your children in planning lunches for
the week. Do this on a regular basis as they may have been all about
bananas the last two weeks but are now sick and want a different
fruit or veggie. Find out if lunches are satisfying - are they
still hungry or brining extra home? If they are brining a lot
home, find out if they are preferring a food/snack served in the
cafeteria. If you are trying to save money by buying in bulk,
you may be able to buy this favorite to pack in their lunch or find
a healthier alternative instead.
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Free Shipping Shopping
for school supplies online is not out of the ordinary anymore.
Many office supply stores and their competitors are allowing parents
to shop from the computer. Compare shipping rates - you might
even get free shipping with purchases at a specified total.
 Back
to School Clothes
Most kids grow out
of their clothes and shoes at an amazing rate. Keep their closets
full with basics and not the trendy fashion of the day. Keep
clothes practical and you won't break the bank!
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Basics, Basics, Basics
Keep the clothes to the basics as
much as possible. Going for trends and fads will only hurt the
checkbook when your child refuses to wear them again. This doesn't
mean you can't get trendy clothes if it fits your budget.
One way to make this easier is to get your child involved in the
budget process. Let them know how much is budgeted for the
season and then shop together for some basic items while saving for
a few "gotta have" fun items.
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Playground Attire (At Every Age)
Can you run, jump, play and have fun
in those clothes? Make sure your kids try moving around in the
clothes they want to buy. Oddly cut pants are no fun for young
kids to play in and skinny jeans will not be as appealing to that
middle school student once they try to sit in a chair hour after
hour of class. Make sure your children on aware of the
functionality of their clothing choices. Finally, make sure you
check out what is allowed at the school. Funky, trendy, or
skimpy may not be practical and they may get your child sent home
too! Take care to read slogans on t-shirts, ambiguous language
or even blatant references to questionable or illegal subjects (i.e.
drugs/alcohol) may not be allowed as well.
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Hand-Me-Downs (Even with the
Neighbors!) If you have more then one
kid, hand-me-downs can be great. Especially if you stay with
the basic and timeless classics, it will be easier for the younger
kids to use what their older siblings can no longer wear. With how
quickly they grow through clothes, most of the clothes will be in
great condition and you can't beat the price! If you don't
have older siblings, consider roving the local garage sales.
Or talk with parents at the school, some parents plan exchange
nights where they all bring clothes their kids can no longer wear
and exchange with each other - again, you can't beat the price of a
good barter in kind!
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Consignment & Charitable Stores
Both consignment and charitable
stores can offer a great way to fill your kids closet. Get your
children involved. At the consignment store they can make
their "own" money by turning in old clothes for cash or store
credit. Going to charitable stores, children can learn early how to
stretch their dollar. Especially when shopping for items they
know they will not be using often - so they need a white dress shirt
for choir but will only wear it one season - a charitable or
consignment store is a great fit. For the really creative
kids, this can be a great way to mix and match and create their own
style for cheap.
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Shop In and Out of Season
Without a doubt the department stores and outlet stores will run
great deals and back to school sales. But also keep a look out
for seasonal closeouts. Items you may not use this year might be
used the next - just be aware you may have to do some good guessing
on future sizes! Again, when shopping seasonal or end of the year
sales, make certain to go for basic and timeless styles - the trendy
may be a good bargain, but may not be worn by a stubborn teen next year.
 Back
to School Learning
As mentioned in the
intro above, research has shown that children lose about a months worth
of knowledge over a 3 month summer vacation. For more difficult
subjects this loss may be even more. There are ways to keep your
kids mind sharp and even learn new things over the summer while
keeping it fun and relaxed.
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Homework Hour
Okay, I know we just said to keep it
fun and relaxed...it still can be with a scheduled time at night for
quiet "study" time. Try to leave an hour open twice a week (or
more) for a homework hour where you and your kids play a challenging
game, watch a documentary, quietly read, or they can play an
educational computer game - there are many online covering
everything from dinosaurs to foreign languages. It will help
keep you child's mind sharp and attuned to concentrating on one task
like they will have to when real homework starts again in
the fall. Of course this is generally for the older student,
younger kids wouldn't need to do a whole hour - something more
comparable to what they do in a school activity. The idea is
not to sit them down with a chart to fill in or tables to review.
Instead, get them to apply some of their learned knowledge in an
activity.
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Summer Reading
If not done during homework hour,
summer reading can be done daily. Read to the younger kids,
read along with the older ones and read quietly next to the tweens
and teens. The idea is to again make the environment conducive
to some reading time. Take a trip to the library once every
two weeks to stock up on books. Perhaps an older kid might be
interested in entering one of the many reading contests that happen
every summer. Read the same book as a family and compare
opinions. Read books related to an upcoming summer vacation.
Read books with a movie fast approaching and compare them to each
other. Read non-fiction books as well. Simply put -
read!
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Inquiring Minds Want to Know
Consider making national pastimes a
chance to learn - How do fireworks work? What creates a
thunderstorm? Why do we celebrate July 4th? Which constellation is
that? How does a camera work - perhaps put it on manual and
figure what different apertures and shutter speeds can do. Or turn a
family road trip into a chance to learn a bit more - stop at a
national park or try a different cuisine from what you get around
home. Challenge yourself to look at items we take for granted as
possibilities for learning and experimenting.
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Did we say Experiments?
What better time then summer to make a mess in the backyard.
Make a homemade volcano, your own play dough, or put together a
model car/airplane/ship/dollhouse. Get your kids involved in
projects - perhaps you are doing a home improvement, although you
child may be too young to help with the tools, they might be able to
help you figure the square footage as you plan your project.
Need help in the garden? Don't make them the "weed puller" -
instead let them help you tend soil, plants, discover bugs, create a
sculpture or taste some ripe berries off the vine.
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First Day Jitters
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Younger kids and those changing schools may feel
some first day jitters. In fact, it is not uncommon for
even high school aged students to be nervous their first day.
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Acknowledge their apprehension and talk about
being nervous the first day. Perhaps use a personal story
from your childhood or mention that a lot of kids are nervous.
Let them know that it's okay to be a bit nervous but it will
still be fun in the end.
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For younger kids you might want to walk/drive
them to the first day of school. If there is a child of
the same age in the neighborhood, you may have them buddy up
before school begins so they can comfortably share the adventure when the
first day comes. Also, if your youngster is taking the bus
the first day, make certain to accompany them to the bus stop.
Remind them to be mindful of traffic and listen to the bus
driver. The more anxiety the student has about the day,
the more likely they may not pay attention to their surroundings.
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The demands on high school and even many middle
school students are ever increasing. It is easy to forget
all the pressures of getting the right classes, preparing for
college, adjusting to taking classes with different teachers,
keeping good grades and having fun on top of it all! When
they start this new venture, take time to discuss with your teen
what changes they may need around the household to get their
studies done - will they need more time on the computer, an
evening at the library, quiet time before an exam? The
list can go on and on. But it is important to note that
sometimes parents and younger kids may forget that there will be
an adjustment in their teen's expected workload. Although
they will have to rise to the challenge on their own, an extra boost set
up by a productive environment will work wonders!
Coupons, discounts and
closeouts: Many sites online now
offer ways to compare the best deals by product or store. Whether
looking for new electronics or ready to head to the grocery store,
check out these sites before you buy. Also take time to review the
forums with customer input. A bit rough around the
edges, the customer reviews on these sites are often short and to
the point.
The Bargainist:
This site lists both sales and coupons. Easy to use search - just
type in the product you are looking for and it will check for any
deals currently available.
http://www.bargainist.com/
Cool Savings.com:
A membership is required. If you don't mind printing your own
coupons, this site is ideal for the busy shopper who knows what they
want but does not want to sift through mailers, the newspaper and
magazines to find a good deal.
http://www.coolsavings.com/
Coupon Mom:
A list of coupons, free offers and
much more. A great way to search out grocery coupons. There is a
membership but as with similar sites, this is free.
http://www.couponmom.com/
Deal Catcher:
Coupons, sales and rebates galore. Review sales by stores as well as
by item rather than brand.
http://www.dealcatcher.com/
Fat Wallet:
The savings here can be found in the online forums. Savvy consumers
share information and special deals. There is also the plethora of
coupons and discounts listed by store or category.
http://www.fatwallet.com/
RetailMeNot:
A twist to the coupon frenzy, this
site offers the coupons for online retailers. Many online retailers
or stores with online shopping offer discounts or special deals with
certain coupon codes or key words. RetailMeNot searches for these
codes for you so you can use them on your next purchase.
http://www.retailmenot.com/
SlickDeals.net:
Mostly user driven, this site helps to create a community where
bargain hunters can congregate and share what they have found. The
latest deals page can be fun to review but you can also search for
products by name.
http://slickdeals.net/
Check out other money saving tips in our 'Don't Break the Bank!'
article from this past spring.
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