Start Shopping for School Supplies NOW!

We all know that at this time of year the ads start coming out for school supplies. It can make your heart race momentarily when you realize that summer is half over and school does loom around the bend. My strategy for school supplies is to start watching the ads now and pick up the items you need as they become good deals. I print out a supply list for each of my kids and put it on a clipboard that I keep handy. I take grocery bags and put one child's name on each bag. I line them up in the dining room and as I purchase items from their list, I simply put the items in their bag. The kids are so excited about this. They compare who has what and visit about what they year may bring for them. It's fun to see them looking forward to going back to school. Another strategy of mine is to set some goals for school supplies. One of our goals is to see if we can purchase all of the supplies from funds made from selling items at the consignment store or on Craigslist. Why not try to buy new from money made by purging the old? We look at each list and recycle from last year. No need to purchase a new pencil box every year! We reuse pencil boxes, rulers, plastic folders, clipboards, sharpeners, erasers and anything else that still has some life left in it! The more I talk to other moms the more I realize that many families are taking this approach this year. Once we eliminate the items we won't be purchasing new, we estimate what we think is a reasonable amount to spend on the remaining items. As we purchase, we keep the receipts handy and have a running total of where we are at. You may have noticed the Target ad from this past week. It had many school supply items on sale for great prices. I was able to pick up several items for all 3 of the kids and still only spend $13.00. If you decide to take your lists and go on one school supply shopping adventure, the store will love you because you will end up paying more than necessary for the majority of items you purchase. Using my strategies this year will help prepare you for upcoming years as you become accustomed to what items will go for when they are on sale. Good Luck!