I have four kids. This is no surprise to me. I can’t blame anyone for my having four kids as they were all very planned (especially the adopted ones, it’s hard to have an oops adoption). There are a couple of times a year then I find having four kids particularly very hard on the wallet. One of these times is back to school shopping. I’m talking school supplies here as I don’t do the whole back to school clothes shopping, they get clothes as they need them.
I save supplies from previous years, I shop sales, use the coupons, but still feel quite broke come the end of August. I think the kicker is that once they are in school I then have to pay school fees of $20 a kid. Every year Hubby says “School fees, we have to pay school fees on top of taxes and buying things like tissues, wet wipes and baggies for the class room?” Every year. I think I have blogged that before, but it is true.
Where Trapper Keepers always so expensive? Will I be looked down upon if I buy the generic tissues? On top of finishing my own list today at Walmart, I had a lady follow me around and ask me a million questions about school supplies. Apparently she had her grandson’s list and was trying to figure out the difference between a sharpie permanent marker and a dry erase marker. She also needed council on folders for binders vs. folders with brads. I tried to be helpful, but it got a bit creepy having her copy my purchases. I was expecting her to have me drive him school as her next request!
That is the practical side of buying school supplies. The emotional part of buying school supplies is realizing that I no longer have to buy play dough or water colors. Elle, my youngest, is going into the second grade. Her last year in elementary school. Sob, sob. The next thing you know she’ll need the special calculator for the seventh grade and then her Senior pictures.
I can’t image what the Senior year does to the wallet. Times four. What did I get myself into?!
September is a great stock-up month. I have this issue withclearances, I see something on clearance and I think I need it or I come up with an idea to use it for the next year. This has saved me money over the years, but it can also be a bit of a clutter problem (ask Hubby). This year my goal is to not clutter up, but buy responsibly. So far, so good. I got Elle’s next years safetyswim vest for $13 with free shipping from Land’s End and Stainless Steel water bottles on sale with $2 shipping. I am trying to cut out the cheap plastic… but steel is pricey! I thought I would share a few of my go-to places for saving money and starting on Christmas and Birthday gifts for the next year.
