As August quickly approaches we start dreading the start of school shopping and the end of summer vacation. Instead of loosing what we have left of the summer, lets find out ways to reduce the 1st day of school stress!
Starting early will help keep you organized along with saving you money.
Get organized
Make a list and shop far ahead of time so stocking up on supplies and clothes feels more like fun than a chore.
Plan ahead meals
Before the school week starts plan on making some freezable dinners so everyone eats healthy even during the most busy nights.
Clearing out the Old
Now is a great time to start clearing out closets of clothes and shoes. Get a list of needed items together to help make shopping easier.
Involve your child
Allow your child to help get their school essentials together this will help them get excited about school.
How to Save on Back to School Shopping
Put in Planning Time
First, gather any back-to-school supply lists from your kids’ schools, add the clothing and any extras they’ll need, then look through the calendar to try to predict the cost of upcoming school activities, suggests Dunn. “As parents, we often get surprised by expenses that we shouldn’t,” he says. With your list in hand, it’s easier to set a realistic budget for each category.
Focus on Big-Ticket Items
There are so many ways to save these days: coupons, incentive programs, rebates, weekly specials, online-only deals. To cut through the clutter, Chrissy Pate, co-author of Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half ($14, amazon.com), recommends focusing on finding the best prices for the most expensive items on your list. “Don’t worry so much about what the prices of the crayons or the pencils are because you’re going to find pretty good deals everywhere on those,” she says. “You’ll save the most money on those big items, as well as time and gas money.”Shop on Tax-Free Days
Many state and local governments offer special tax-free shopping periods with the back-to-school shopper in mind. Check our list of tax-free shopping dates to find out when you state is participating and which items are exempt.Follow Your Favorite Stores
Back-to-school clothing sales start appearing in mid-July through the end of August, and the options can be dizzying. “They’re putting lots of coupons out there,” says Pate. She suggests keeping track of your favorite retailers’ deals by following them on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. “Then use those coupons in conjunction with sales to really get the biggest bang for your buck.”
Start daily school routines about a week prior to the 1st day of school.
- Start earlier bed and wake-up times to help ease into the new school schedule.
- Set up a spot just for school bags, books and papers, as well as a school calendar.
- Figure out what steps need to be made to make sure they are getting ready on time to walk to the bus stop or driving to school.
- Schedules…. make sure everyone knows their schedule for the week. Set up a family activity calendar where everyone can see it.
- Pack everything for the next day the night before to save time in the morning.
On behalf of MVTV Wireless we want to wish everyone a great 2017-2018 school year!
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fairs will have new attractions, music and food. Check out all of our local county fairs and what they have to offer this summer.
