Back to School

Before shopping do an inventory of what they already have......and make darn sure they can see the supplies they have, such as pencil boxes and backpacks!!! I know sounds simple but if they don't see it, they will talk you blue in the face trying to convince you they need the newest and coolest pencil case, back pack or whatever.

1. Do not wait til the last minute.
a. and before the county fair, when the entire southeast Montana population has come to town and ravages the aisles.
2. If at all possible, take one kid at a time and squeeze in a special treat time.
3. Scour the thrift store first for needed items. Now is the best time to scoop up clothing that does not get the heavy wear and tear as some other items. Such as vests, hoodies, sweaters, and shirts and snow pants of all things. Understand not all the items are in top notch quality so do check them over well. No holes, no stains, not too faded a bit we can live with that. Jeans will be hard to find for primary boys....if they are anything like my boy....the knees are ripped out. Khaki shorts galore. Ya win some ya lose some. I found half his shirts at goodwill along with some much needed swim trunks. I also stocked up on winter clothing, even though its hovering in the 80's, cold weather is right around the corner.
4. Create a realistic budget.....I admit I was being a bit cheap at first then when I thought about it some more I realized I had not purchased clothing in quite some time, heck the last time I bought shoes for my daughter was last year during school shopping....and I sewed up her skirts this spring and stashed them so they would avoid popsicle stainage. We are lucky because she
has tiny feet that do not grow very fast at all. I did come in under budget as it turned out anyways. I have a separate budget/savings stash for the "supply list issued from the school"
5. Do the best you can with what you have. Quality over quantity and find your middle ground somewhere in between. Seriously do our kids need to have 30 complete outfits for school?
6. Take a clean pair of socks with you for your kids to try on shoes!!

and for some humor......who knew crayons would be so gangsta fab!!!