Friday
night I braved the mall and six stores later I was able to come up with three
burgundy polo shirts and two pair of black cotton twill pants for my
oldest. The new school she will be
attending this year requires uniforms.
Although she isn't so thrilled about this, I have to admit I am. It makes it easy. Once you find the items you need anyway.
At
JC Penney I was able to find the shirts for $9.99 each. Finding the pants was the hardest but finally
we found her two pair, the last two pair in her size, at Sears for $11.49
each. A couple weeks ago we got her
shoes on sale at ShopKo for $29.99 and I had a $10 store coupon so essentially
they were only $19.99. I still plan to
get her some black socks to go with her uniforms. She already has three pair so I don't have to
no rush.
The
little one is in really great shape as she has inherited a ton of great
clothing from big sister. That along
with the handful of things we bought throughout the summer means she has been
ready to go in the clothing department for quite awhile. We bought her new shoes at the beginning of
summer, on sale and a little larger than needed at the time, so she is all set
there too.
I
have to admit, this is the cheapest back-to-school preparation I have managed
so far. Thankfully!
How
is it going for you? How are some ways
you are saving money this year getting your children ready?
Nice! You did pretty good on the back-to-school expenses! I have often wished my son's school would do the uniform thing, it seems like it would be so much easier. I didn't do so good with back-to-school savings. We went through all of my son's clothes and found we needed more than we thought we would need. Last year I got off pretty easy and did not have to get much at all. This year was very different he needed pretty much everything. I tried to stick to Walmart and thrift stores for most items, except the sneakers. I got him pants, shirts, underclothes, socks and a pair of shorts. I did score by finding him a thick hooded zip-up sweatshirt in great condition, GAP brand, at a thrift store on the DOLLAR RACK- WHOO-HOO!!! That will be his Fall Jacket this year. I got him a good pair of sneakers that should last for a while (I did get those on sale for a great price so I consider that a score too!) And his winter coat is still in good condition so he wont be needing any winter wear this year so what I bought now will be the bulk of the school year expenses. As far as school supplies, most of them he is reusing from last year and we dug a lot of items up from around the house so that wasn't a huge expense. He did get a new book bag and lunch tote, thermos and soup container, so that was a bit of a chunk, but worth it in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I could have done better with back-to-school shopping, but it could have been worse too. He's happy with what he got- so I'm happy too. :)
I just found out they are raising school lunches to $3!!! The lunch gear more than pays for itself. Good job on the hoodie. Now I can fill in with thrift store purchases as needed. I'm planning socks and underwear for Christmas. Fortunately their winter coats will last another year so I don't have to replace them.
DeleteIsn't the price of a school lunch ridiculous? In my son's elementary school the lunches are $2.20! My friend who has a daughter in high school told me the lunches are well over $3.00 there! I think that is crazy. I agree that the investment in the lunch gear is worth it. :)
DeleteThey call it the "affordable lunch program". It isn't for us. It would be $6 a day or $30 a week just to feed my two kids one meal a day. It is almost as much as my entire budget for the month. How's that for putting it in perspective?
DeleteWow- that does make you see it in a completely different light! Anyone who knows me will tell you that this is one of those 'don't get me started' topics- haha. I have always believed that school lunches should be FREE for all students who attend public schools. I feel that since it is mandatory that children attend schools and we pay taxes, it should be provided regardless of whether or not a family would 'qualify.' That is just my opinion. I could go on and on about this but I'll spare you and zip my lips now. lol. ;)
DeleteI couldn't agree more, except I've seen what they serve and I don't want my kids eating it. ;)
DeleteOur schools here participate in the Michelle Obama's free lunch program, but the only problem is the food is horrible. It is supposed to be healthy but it tastes so awful the kids won't eat it. I work in the public school system, I've tasted this junk too and it's wretched.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, good job with the back to school shopping. I don't have to worry about that for a few years yet. We were extremely poor growing up and I always hated back to school, I always wished for uniforms. Figured it would be easier than sitting there with the richer kids showing off all their nice new stuff.
My parents didn't have a lot either so I was right there with you. Uniforms put everyone on a level playing field. At least as far as clothing goes anyway.
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