Have you seen Back To School sales flyers yet? I have and I am dreading the school supply list and everything that goes along with Back To School.
ManSon will soon start college and my bank will call saying “Are you alright? Is there a hostage or kidnapping situation? Your withdrawals are no where near normal!” I will simply reply “Back To School supplies.”
Last night during a conversation with Snow White I asked her how her back pack was holding up. The look on her face was absolute horror. In that moment she knew summer would soon be coming to an end. After composing herself she said her back pack was just fine and ran to retrieve it from her room. It was fine, practically brand new! She insisted that a new back pack was not necessary and I agreed.
When Snow White went to bed I looked over at her closet and all the clothes hanging up. She has never worn any of these clothes, they will be too small to wear next year. There are a few boxes of clothes in the basement we never unpacked from our move last fall. So many pretty clothes will have to be transported to the GoodWill, Salvation Army or some other place. I threw away good money on those outfits, outfits she never had the chance to wear.
That brought me to my Back To School shopping resolve. This year I will buy her 5 new sets of clothes for the first week of school. Pretty much everyone else will be wearing brand new clothes. Most will be fall fashions and those children will be dying from the heat by lunch time. My plan is to purchase really cute summer sets one size too big. This way she can have brand new outfits for the first week. They will be on super sale due to the fall line up coming in and she can wear them next summer. I will of course alter them to fit her this year if needed. When the weather changes to fall I will pack up all the summer clothes and bring out the boxes of fall/winter clothing. An assessment of what clothes she has will depend on what if any new clothes will be purchased. As she has a bit of diva in her I know she will want at least a few sets of new clothes. What girl doesn’t like new clothes?!
The local Back To School supply list has yet to come out so I am not sure what will be on Snow White’s school list. Upon receiving the list I will first sort through the crafts, desks and other areas of the house to see if we already have a brand new this or that. I cannot tell you how many times I bought a brand new package of colored pencils, checked them off my shopping list only to find a stack of them at home in someone’s desk.
Here are some staple items always listed on the Back To School Supply list and actually are worn out or used up during the school year….
Crayons
Pencils
Pens (high school)
Pencil holder
Pocket Folders
Glue Sticks
Ruler
Erasers
Here is a list of items just about every school has asked each parent to provide for communal use (I have purchased these items for 18 years, 10 more to go)
Hand sanitizer
Hand soap
Tissues
Crayons
Glue
Make sure to take advantage of the Tax-Free Holiday!! Most states offer a weekend or a week in August to shop free of sales tax for Back To School items. Check with your state to see what is covered and what is not. Some states even cover electronic items but remember the acceptable list varies from state to state. Some states are having their Tax-Free Holiday this weekend! Google “Tax-Free Holiday” or “Tax-Free Shopping” plus your state abbreviation to find out the dates for your state.
What is usually on your list every year? Do you have a School supply list yet? Are you excited about the Back To School Shopping? Any tips or tricks you want to pass on?
2 comments:
My oldest starts kindergarten this year, so this is our first year of this madness. So, for us, it's very exciting. She'll be going to a school where she'll wear a uniform, which means that I have to buy all new stuff, but I don't have to buy lots of different outfits and so. Whew! That helps a lot.
In four years, I'll have four in school and I can only imagine how crazy that's going to be! Still, by then I'll probably have it down to a science like you by then!
I love shopping but the back to school supplies really get to me. In previous years I have spent over $2,000 on back to school clothes and supplies. This year I want to see if I can do a little better.
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