5 Back To School Things To Plan For Now

August 08, 2017

The first day of school — ready or not, here it comes. For kids, it’s a mixture of excitement to reconnect with friends and dread of going back to homework and early bedtimes. For parents, I’d have to say it’s mostly just relief — either because they are no longer having to spend an arm and a leg on summer camp or because they cannot possibly handle another day of having their kids home all day, every day, needing to be entertained, fed, refereed and cleaned up after.

As we start to close in on the big day, it’s time to start firing up your budget for the following five things, as well as some ways to save on them:

  1. School supply list — This is the infamous list of school items that parents are asked to buy for their kids’ classroom and use throughout the school year. It can get pricey, so you have to get creative. Instead of buying pre-sharpened pencils, I get unsharpened pencils for much less and give my kids the “fun” project of sharpening them (it’s all about the spin). If I had a school supply item at home, I re-purposed it rather than buying new. Dollar stores and thrift stores are awesome places to find things like binders, document protectors, dividers and other supplies on the cheap. Shop early though, it is tough to find school supplies a week before school starts pretty much anywhere.
  2. School activities — I will admit, I am guilty of forgetting that some activities require payment in advance. Start budgeting for after-school activities and the ancillary costs right now. Is your kid in dance? Then you know to start hitting up consignment shops for jazz shoes, ballet shoes, and leotards. Is your kid in track? Plan ahead to shop during your state’s Sales Tax Holiday weekend, and start collecting store coupons for running shoes. Add the monthly cost of the school activity to your monthly spending plan so that it doesn’t take you by surprise.
  3. School lunch — If your kid buys lunch at school, estimate the average monthly cost and include this amount in your monthly budget as well. I normally make my kids lunches to save money. Last year, after a few weeks of half eaten lunches and a lot of complaining, I decided to get my girls involved. I had them go on Pinterest and give me five breakfast, lunch and snack items they like, with parameters – for example, snacks had to be a fruit or veggie and the lunch had to have some nutritional value. I also got them involved in making the lunches. I found they were less likely to complain and more likely to eat their lunch once they were involved in its creation. Standardizing breakfast, lunch and snacks became a time saver but also helped me find deals on items we use often. I also learned it was much cheaper to buy snack items in bulk and bag them myself rather than buy items pre-bagged, such as baby carrots or apple slices.
  4. School breaks — School may just be getting started, but start planning ahead now for days or weeks where you may need babysitting so you can line up affordable options. This includes holidays, teacher workdays, fall break, Thanksgiving break and Winter break. Since you may be used to spending more right now on summer camp anyway, consider diverting that money once school starts to a separate “school break” account so it doesn’t eat into your holiday spending budget. Don’t forget to reference this budget during open enrollment season at work so you can sign up for the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account and use pre-tax dollars to pay these expenses.
  5. Clothing — My kids have the gift of destroying or losing clothing within the first few weeks of school so I stopped buying new items. I typically go to the consignment shops in the wealthiest part of town to shop for clothes – oftentimes with the tags still on them. To take it even further, I wait for a sales tax holiday – just make sure you wake up early to shop for school items, it’s a jungle out there.

Back to school is expensive, even if your kids go to public school. By planning ahead, you can prevent your wallet from screaming for mercy as you prepare and instead just enjoy having some peace and quiet at home again for a little bit.

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Three Things To Shop For During Summer For Year-Long Savings

July 11, 2017

Summer is a fun time. I love the warmer months and having a schedule that does not revolve around my kids’ school schedule. For me, summer is also prime-time for planning out my finances for the rest of the year. This is the season where I start planning for fall and even Christmas, by shopping for items most people are not thinking about such as:

  1.  School Uniforms In the south where we live, the public schools in our area require uniforms. I learned a few years ago that a lot of parents sell their kids’ school uniforms to consignment shops shortly after the last day of school. To score the best deals, I wait a few weeks then start scouring nearby consignment shops for gently used uniforms in my girls’ next size up for next year. (I stopped buying brand new uniforms after observing the wonderful “art projects” my messy kids’ clothes become by the end of the school year.) To save money, I much prefer to buy gently used clothes from parents with either unusually neat kids or with amazing stain-fighting skills. Visit your local consignment stores and make friends with the owners and sales people — many stores have “membership programs” with great sales and some stores will even call you if an item you are looking for becomes available.
  2. Gifts I take full advantage of summer holidays to shop for birthdays and even Christmas gifts. Summer is full of big sale days: 4th of July,  Amazon Prime Day, Labor Day and even Back to School can score you some early Christmas gifts for kids. I sign up for coupons at my favorite stores and can normally wrack up great discounts on potential gift items. I also use back to school sales to stock up on home office supplies like printer paper and cartridges. Consider striking up a conversation with the sales staff. You can get insider information about unadvertised sales as well as how to get extra coupons by doing things such as “liking” the store on Facebook, writing a favorable review on Yelp, etc.
  3. Food During the summer there are many local farmers markets that may shut down during the fall. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to eat healthier after the markets close down for the year, get to know your local farmers in the summer and find out which ones participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, which are food purchasing memberships that allow you to buy a “share” of veggies, sometimes meats or even dairy items from a regional farmer. The farmer typically drops your share off at a designated location and time for you to pick up during the program. The USDA can help you find a CSA near you. Look for farmers who participate in a local market so you can speak to them directly and even try some of their food before signing up.

Summer can be a lot fun, but it’s also a great time to start saving for the fall. With a little bit of planning, you can find some great buys.

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My Top 5 Back-to-School Sanity Savers

August 04, 2015

Right before the school year starts, I hear this imaginary bell going off in my head with Michael Buffer saying, “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble.” My first year was utter chaos – registering my kids at school, understanding what they can or cannot wear, the infamous list of what feels like 1,000 items to bring to school, and dealing with picky eaters who liked one lunch one day and thought the same lunch tasted like garbage the next week. The following year, I swore I would develop a strategy to keep myself sane. These are my top 5 sanity savers: Continue reading “My Top 5 Back-to-School Sanity Savers”

What Alligators Taught Me About Budgeting

July 14, 2015

My family and I are history buffs so we try to choose cities with lots of history to visit. This year, we chose St. Augustine, Fl. It is considered to be the oldest city in the country and is full of historical sites and museums that kept the kids entertained. Continue reading “What Alligators Taught Me About Budgeting”

My Back to School Checklist

August 11, 2014

It is hard to believe that summer is winding down and school is right around the corner. I talk to many other parents this time of year who have a wide range of thoughts regarding the back to school routine. Some ask “where did all of the time go” while others cannot wait to get their cute little monsters out of the house and out of their hair. If you are a parent with school-aged children, you are likely experiencing a similar feeling of disappointment/relief. Continue reading “My Back to School Checklist”

What Bothers Me Most About a New School Year

September 25, 2013

Well, if you have kids like mine — one in high school, one in middle school, and two in elementary school — then you’re probably in the throes of packed lunches, school buses, band practice, homework, driving kids to and from student activities, PTO meetings, and a host of other September rituals.  Many of these don’t bother me, and some are welcomed reminders of why I’m glad I’m not in school anymore. But there are several rituals that always come along this time of year that always get under my skin: clothes shopping, school supply shopping and fund raising events. Continue reading “What Bothers Me Most About a New School Year”

Personal Finance Tools for Busy Parents

August 26, 2013

The dog days of summer are here and it’s back to school time for millions across America. To a certain degree, I actually enjoy the routine of the school schedule.  Like the changing of seasons, there is a sense of familiarity despite the unknowns of what may happen along the journey.  Continue reading “Personal Finance Tools for Busy Parents”

GUEST BLOG POST: Back to School – Saving on Supplies

August 17, 2011

School-aged children have a long list of supplies for the classroom, many of which remain unused. Keep abreast of sales on school supplies and forgo the expensive flashy versions in favor of basic notepads, folders and pencils. Here are some tips to keep your shopping to the minimum. Continue reading “GUEST BLOG POST: Back to School – Saving on Supplies”