Back to School Shopping Tips

 Getting back into the school routine can be hard to do after a long summer. Make it easy on yourself and make a “to do” list of all the things you need to do to get your students year off to a great start. Give yourself plenty of time. This will cut down on your stress level as the first day approaches. Here are some helpful ideas you may want to try.

 Try buying the supplies they may need ahead of time. Like pens, pencils, paper, folders, composition books, crayons, and markers. The stores are already having sales and don’t forget to clip coupons! Then when you get the supply list from the teacher you won’t have so much to buy all at once. Buying extras of the most used supplies is a great headache saver. Kids tend to tell you they are out of paper on the day they need more paper. Buying more also helps you to save money by getting quantity discounts.

 When it comes to shopping for clothing it seems to be fun for them but not so much for parents. A few weeks before the first day of school, have them gather together all the old clothes that don’t fit or they are not going to wear again and donate them to a charity or if you need some extra cash you can take them to a consignment shop. This means less clutter for you and it may help the less fortunate kids so they have some new clothes for the first day of school as well. Get organized! It makes room for their new clothes and organization is a good quality to have.

 Staying organized is hard to do. They get home from school and their backpacks, jackets and lunch boxes end up all over the house. Try making a landing spot in the house just for school stuff. Like a chair by the door or a shelf in the kitchen or den. Large baskets are also a great way to keep it organized. If you are the crafty type you can be creative and make your own decorative box.

 For your older kids who are collage bound at last. Where do you start? If they are staying in a dorm your checklist would be bedspreads, storage units, laptops, digital cameras, mp3 players and cell phones as well as the usual supplies like notebooks, pens and paper. Wow, can you say expensive! This is where shopping online can save you time and money. There are many comparison shopping websites to choose from. Find one that is fun and easy to use. You should also check out deal and coupon websites as well.

These are just a few tips to help you through the back to school season. Happy shopping!