VALDOSTA —
I’m so happy that I’m not in school anymore because shopping for school supplies was like the bane of my existence. Don’t get me wrong, I love Post-it notes and Sharpies, but when it comes to back-to-school shopping, people go crazy. It’s like the day after Thanksgiving shopping on three shots of espresso.
Also, school supplies aren’t as cool as they were in my day. What’s cooler than a Lisa Frank trapper keeper? Apparently Justin Bieber making provocative faces on a folder.
I’m not going to tell you how to raise your children, but when I see a kindergartner with a notebook with a picture of Ke$ha passed out on the floor from a Pixie Stick overdose, I start becoming concerned with their caliber of role models.
Regardless of how stupid it is to be required to buy scented markers (yes, I actually saw this on a school list) for your 6-year-old to sniff and color with, you nevertheless have to comply or else your child becomes the kid who is sent to time-out for coloring a blue duck that smells like a marker should instead of blueberries. Perplexing, I know.
To make matters worse, Georgia’s tax-free weekend falls the weekend after school starts because obviously that was the most logical way to do it. So now an already expensive venture has turned into a bitter and cynical search for sales on pencils. So, as I always do, I am running to the rescue with money-saving tips that will keep you from running into traffic after back-to-school shopping.
• Before you go shopping, raid your own office supplies at home. Get an empty bin and dedicate it for the purpose of collecting supplies. You probably already have half of what you need. You just need to take the time to look for it.
• Make a list and stick to it. Wandering through aisles and aisles of useless Crayola products is daunting enough, don’t go into the madness blindly. When Bush started a war didn’t he have a plan? If only he had made a list first.
• While shopping, don’t give into brands. I know your daughter has a flair for the dramatic and says she’ll die without a bedazzled pair of scissors, but I assure you, her health will be fine. She might resent you, but let’s face it, they’re going to do that in high school anyway so you might as well brace yourself early. If you are not completely aware of the implications of giving into your child yet and must give in to brand demands, only do it on “statement pieces.” Get the poodle bookbag or binder, but fill it with the cheap stuff.
• This tip will help with money and your child’s behavior. I’m a big advocate of talking dollars and cents with kids at an early age. So make them aware of your budget and tell them you need their help sticking to it. Give them a calculator and let them add up each item. It will become a game and they will want to win and by them winning the budget task, you get to buy groceries for another week. This will also keep them busy so you won’t be the parent with the kid in Walmart whose screaming for a Hulk bookbag.
• Don’t neglect second-hand stores. Especially around school time, a lot of second-hand stores begin to carry bookbags, binders and, of course, clothes. Consignment shops are the best place to buy jeans, especially for young children. Because kids grow so fast, a lot of the children’s clothes that go to consignment shops have only been worn once or twice.
Well my faithful budgeteers, that’s all I have for you this week. As far as back-to-school shopping is concerned, I would say that I feel your pain but fortunately, I don’t because I don’t have children. Happy shopping and please feel free to post pictures of your crazy shopping adventures on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BrittanysBudgetDiary or on my Twitter @VDT_Brittany.
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