Getting the kids ready for back to school can be both a blessing and a curse, the blessing comes from the fact your kids are returning to school. It becomes a curse when you realize all the time, money, and effort you have to spend in order to set them up for success.
By setting up a back to school plan, you will save time, money, and effort. Consider creating two lists. The first list should consist of creating a To-do list and the second list consists of a school shopping list. By having two lists, you can also delegate responsibilities to your spouse and even to your kids if they are old enough.
These lists should only contain things you ABSOLUTELY must do or have! This will help to reduce your stress levels and prioritize what you need to do. If it is not directly related to school, it is not essential. Remember the goal is to make a stress free and successful school year for your child.
Here are some strategies to consider for your To-Do list:
- Make sure you have registered for school
- Set up a check up appointments with the Eye Doctor, Dentist, and Pediatrician. - The majority of Health Insurance Companies offer Regular Health Maintenance Coverage. Call your provider and take advantage of your coverage. After all, you and your employer are already paying for it.
Keeping the kids healthy also alleviates the stress from having to take off from work because of illness. If you do not have insurance contact your School District office for help, many states now have preventative care programs for children. In addition, clinics in places, such as Pharmacies, also offer low cost back to school checkups.
- Make sure your child memorizes your home, work and cell phone numbers along with their address. When we were teaching our daughter our contact information we put it to music using “Jingle Bells” and “Pop Goes the Weasel” as the melodies. She sings our contact information but she knows it.
- Arrange for school transportation. Will your child take the bus? Will they walk? Determine how they will go back and forth from school and begin to establish safety rules.
If you have not talk to your child about stranger danger now is the time. A good place to start is with The Safe Side Program which was developed by John Walsh of America's Most Wanted and Julie Clark the creator of Baby Einstein.
- Consider getting your child a cell phone - Children as young as six can have a special cell phone that allows only a few numbers and even GPS tracking. Firefly, Disney, and others provide phone services for children.
- Arrange for before and after school care and special daycare on sick days. Arranging childcare prior to needing it will really cut down on the stress!
- Create a Central Calendar - Many companies now offer dry easer calendars. By having a central calendar, the family's events are easily monitored. A rule I have instituted in my household in order to cut down on my stress is “if it's not on the board it's not going to happen” rule. In other words, everything that is an event, a special project due date or a special purchase MUST be put on the family calendar. I also carry a calendar notebook that is used to mark future appointment and events. This rule has been in place for the last two years in our home, and the last minutes “Oh! I forgot!” moments happen rarely in our house.
These are just some of the things to consider when preparing your TO-DO List for back to school. If you feel ambitious visit sites that are offered by companies such as Pillsbury, Kraft and Woman's Day, they offer meal planners, recipes, and shopping lists. By using such sites for my meal planning, I have lowered our family's cholesterol, saved money and I spend less time at the Grocery store. By planning meals a month in advance, you can strategically shop for sales and with coupons. Last month, I saved $300 dollars while purchasing the groceries for the month!
The second list you will want to put together is a school purchase list. Clothes are usually the number on expenditure for a new school year. I highly recommend you review everyone's closet and see what fits, what needs repair, and what needs to be replaced. Clothes that are still like new can be passed down to the younger children as after school play clothes.
Always review the clothes in your closets, before you shop for Back to School. Shirts and pants can be updated and repaired with decals and iron on designs. Research what is new in fashion for the year and make the alterations on existing clothes, yourself. Learning to make small alterations is easy and you can find many books on how to create a new fashion look with old clothes at the Library.
To save even more money get your back to school supply list from your school district in August and shop the sales. Remember to keep your receipts. It does not hurt to ask stores if you can get a refund between the price you paid and the new sale price if it goes down in price within a thirty-day period. Remember to follow the Sunday ads in from mid- August into early September many stores sell school supplies at bargain prices to bring in customers. If you do not get the Sunday newspaper, you can read it free at your local Library.
Many shoes are also on sale in August, especially canvas and gym shoes. In addition, retailers have sales at the end of summer to make way for the fall inventories. Remember by buying only classic clothes and shoes you can buy things to use for years.
Another way to save money is to purchase classic style shirts, pant, and shoes for your children. This is a shopping hint I learned from my Mother, who is a great bargain shopper. When you buy classic clothes, you can wear them year to year without looking out of date. She would only allow us fad clothing if we paid for it or if it was given to us as a gift. That way our clothing dollars not only covered the year we purchased the clothes but it allowed some items to see years of use.
By following the washing directions on the label, you can make things last and when your kids grow out of them you can sell them to a resale shops. To this day, I wear things I've had for more than ten years. My Mother advised to spend money on high quality classic styled clothing and to use accessories in order to stay updated.
By planning for Back to School, stress will be a thing of the past, through planning, you can save yourself money in clothing. By managing your time, you may even find time to unwind before the school year starts.
