Back to School Savings: Six Ways to Save Money During Back-to-School Time
Back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming. Here are six simple ways to save money while giving your children what they need to hit the books this year.
1. Take a specific list for school supplies to the discount store or office supplies store. Watch the Sunday circulars and plan to find all of these essential school supplies in a single trip, while they are on sale. Make sure to stick to the official supplies list provided by the school. Then shop online (or comparison shop offline) for other items you might need, such as clothes and shoes.
2. Do not spend too much on back-to-school clothes before school begins. Every child looks forward to having something new for the first day of school. That does not mean each child needs an entirely new wardrobe. With many schools starting in August, the weather is too hot for the fall and winter clothes that they will need for the duration of the school year. And if you shop too far in advance, your child could actually outgrow an outfit before it is time to wear it. Purchase one new outfit (or new single clothing item) for that first day to heighten the excitement, and save the rest of the wardrobe budget for a few months from now. If your budget does not allow for a new clothing item for each child, treat your kids to something smaller, but still exciting: a new pencil bag or a new package of pencils printed with their name, for example.
3. Establish a clothing budget for each child. This allows your child to be in control of their wardrobe (under your guidelines, of course), and it requires them to make wise spending decisions. Help your child to comparison shop once they decide what they like. You can find lots of coupons online this time of year for apparel and shoes.
4. Shop the sales, offline as well as online. Many of the big online retailers, such as Overstock and Smartbargains, as well as Target and Walmart, feature savings this time of year on back-to-school items small appliances, even notebook computers and those specialized calculators that your older children may need.
5. Let your child give their old stuff a new look. With a few paper bags, sheets of construction paper, glitter, pens, glue, and stickers, they can make fun, personalized folders, supply tins, lunchboxes, notebooks, and book covers.
6. Plan a simple reward for the first day. Treat your elementary school student to a special surprise at the end of the first day (or at the end of the first week for middle school and high school students.) Take your children out for pizza or an ice cream cone and ask them to tell you all about their classes, their new friends, and what they think they are going to enjoy most about the year to come. They will cherish this simple tradition, and so will you.
Jamie Jefferson
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/back-to-school-savings-six-ways-to-save-money-during-backtoschool-time-51895.html
Filed under: ways for kids to make money
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Is it true you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
I am a 27 year old female who is in a relationship with a 45 year old man. Some may be thinking "Wow, what an age gap"! but I’ve always been attracted to older men. We met through work in July 2008 agreed to be together in October 2008, then moved in together April 2009. I regret doing this now, because I wish that I would have taken the time to get to know HIM, his personality, and different things about what he wanted out of life. I really did fall in love with him and I assumed because of his age that he would be more responsible than I, could teach me things I hadn’t yet learned about life, responsibility etc. I just thought we could teach each other things I guess.
We are currently living in a house with his older brother who is retired, and his niece who is 32, and just kind of decided to stay here, because nobody will make her do anything with her life, and that’s the way she prefers it I guess. I am currently working at a winery (they’ve been cutting hours) he is unemployed, fills out 0 job applications a day (he says that computers were not around during his day) therefore he uses this as an excuse for not having a job. If it weren’t for the fact that his Father left him and his brothers a hauling business, he would never have any money. He has no savings/checking account to speak of, so even if he was working, he’d never save anything. He says very rude and hurtful comments to me when he gets drunk off of liquor. He’ll wake up the next morning and act as if he can’t remember what he said to me (even though he does, and just can’t apologize). He is an alcoholic and a chain smoker, which is becoming more and more unbearable for me to try and tolerate.
I’d leave him, but I really don’t have anywhere to go. My savings is down to nothing, my Mother lives 40 miles away, I have no car, and I’d like to go back to school, but can’t afford to. He had two cars, but he refused to get them registered, and therefore we couldn’t go anywhere without getting pulled over and having the cars get impounded. The an he had got impounded last month. We went to a State Park the other day and the Sheriff ran our tags. He gave him a ticket for no insurance, registration, and having a 2011 tag on the car from someone else registered car. He drinks while driving, and the Sheriff smelled the booze on him. We were in a stick shift and I can’t drive a stick, so we had to call someone to come get us. Being with someone his age that acts the way he does, and is as irresponsible as him, is not only a waste of my time, but embarrassing as well. My mother knows I deserve better, but it’s hard for 2 women to live together and I don’t want to lie with her. My best friend said I could come stay with her, but I’m basically unemployed and I don’t want to impose. She has 2 twin sons, and I just don’t know. It’s been 2 years and I don’t see him changing. His friends/family tell him I’m a great catch and he just won’t shape up. I’m the only one paying rent in the house other than his older brother. His niece and him pay nothing. What would you do?
i used to date older men, until i learned that they only want the "idea" of you, and will do their very best to either use you, or change who you are to suit their needs.
leave. no excuses. find a way and be out.
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What would I do? I’d leave his sorry ass. Sure, not what you planned but life doesn’t wait or work around your plans. I would do what is best for me in the long run, suck up your pride for now and leave the loser. Things might be kinda crazy for a little while but one you find yourself back on your feet you’ll be happy you did. If you stay, you’ll continue down the same road you’ve already been on for the past two years. Do you really want to do that?
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You don’t mention your father in the post.
It almost seems like maybe your father left at an early age or was irresponsible and you’ve found your daddy in this man.
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You can often teach them to beg.
No, I didn’t read all that. Good luck, though.
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You need and deserve to get away from this loser.
Go and live with your friend, help her with those twins until you can get a real job so you can help pay bills.
Stop making excuses, and get out.
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I taught my 9 yo dog to walk off leash. I can’t teach my 47 yo husband a d@mn thing.
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I didn’t read the whole story because it sounds like a lot of decisions that I would not have made, were made by you. My recommendation would be to take that 40 mile trip to your mother’s house and get yourself together. Your first comment about liking older men instantly told me that you are looking for a father figure. Right after that thought, I read that you were hoping that he could teach you some things about life.
Age does not equal maturity. Nor does it make a guy a man. People think because they hit a certain age, they can take on the title associated with that age. Example: People think when they turn 21, they are grown and are an adult. If your parents are taking care of you, you are not grown. If you are 45 and someone is taking care of you, you are older, but you are not grown.
By the way, you get what you focus on (good or bad), whether you believe it or not. The theory about 2 women living together is not accurate. People that don’t communicate don’t work well together, no matter what the sex or age. Relationships are built on trust and communication. You can’t make someone do or be who you want them to be. When you learn to allow people to be themselves and you work on developing you, you will be able to strive forward in all your relationships (even Mom).
Learn the law of attraction and start attracting what you really want.
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