Back to School Shopping

I love that the talents of others are available to me when I need something special done. I’m very good at begging and schmoozing. Thus I begged a remarkable woman to please tell me how she shops for school for her kids. I picked her for several reasons. She’s wonderfully organized, she has children that range in age from 3 months to a freshman in college, she has daughters and a son, and they’re great kids. Then after taking time from her busy schedule to write for the blog, I lost the article. You see, I’m not wonderfully organized. But, I found it again, and even though you have probably finished most of your school shopping, there is still Christmas and there are birthdays, and she wrote a really good article and I wanted it to be available to you. So without further adieu, please give your attention to Amy Stankosky.

Lori-Jean


“For us, shopping starts in the bedroom by taking an inventory of the clothes that are in good condition and still fit. We then rotate clothes that don’t fit to other children if possible, and make a list of what to look for. It helps to know the “needs” so we can fit in the “wants.”

With an idea in mind or a list in hand we head for the stores. I watch for sales in the department stores and any other of our favorite stores, especially when there’s an extra percentage off of the total sales. Also, throughout the year I love to check the clearance racks whenever possible. If I find something for a good deal that fits one of my children, I’ll buy it and either save it for when they need it or surprise them with a “just because!” Who doesn’t like something new!

When it comes to shopping with my children, it just depends on the year. If I find items that fit my younger children, I’ll buy them whether they are with me or not. For the things I know they need to try on I’ll take a couple of kids with me at a time so everyone has a chance to go shopping. My older children go with me to pick out the things they like or they go shopping with friends. This requires less brain power from me and everyone is happy!

The most important thing for me is to budget for this time of year so it’s fun and not so stressful. I start picking up school supplies as soon as they go on sale, purchasing a few items every week. This way you’re not hit with a big expense all at once and you’re ready when school starts.

When our older children were young we gave each child the same amount of money, told them what they needed to look for and then let them decide where they were going to buy it and how much they would spend on each item. As an incentive to help them spend it wisely, we told them they could spend any money left over on whatever they wanted. It was fun to see them begin to better understand the value of money. And now it’s fun to see what’s important or not important when they’re spending their own money.

Shopping is a great way to spend time together and has proven to be a great teaching opportunity as well.

-Amy Stankosky, mother of many