Back to School Shopping Tips

When the grocery store starts selling lunch boxes and school supplies, you know that the summer break days are numbered…

I can remember from my own school days the feeling of confidence and anticipation that came from going off to meet my new teacher and classmates with a new backpack, lunch box, clothes and shoes. And now that I am a parent, I want to pass on these same feelings to my kids but without breaking the bank. Costs associated with back to school expenses can be crippling for families if you spend before doing a little studying of your own!

So, as the lazy summer routines give way to more structure every August, this is when spending skills are tested for most families. Any change in routine can cause stress on the family spender and if left unprepared you may find spending can get out of control and leave you with the same old feeling of frustration. So, below are some tips to help make the shift go smoothly and with as little impact to the checkbook as possible:

1)A little planning goes a long way. Before shopping for anything related to getting ready for school, spend some time with your kids discussing what is needed and when it is needed. This will give you an idea of the overall cost involved so you can plan accordingly. In about 3 weeks, revisit the list of things you classify as “Need Later” to see if you really need them. Get a sturdy clipboard and use the worksheet located on my website as a guide for each child.

2)Each child will have different needs since each grade has different supplies, clothing trends and lunch considerations. Check the school website for more information such as a grade appropriate supply list before shopping. Most kids can get by in the first few days with the basics, and then fill in the rest of the supplies after your student has met the teacher and knows what is expected.

3)Shop for categories of items separately to enable tracking your spending. If you lump all the shopping into one big trip for all your kids, it is much easier to loose track of your spending goals. For example, shop for all the lunch supplies on one trip and the next trip shop for the clothes, etc.

4)If you have more than one child to outfit for school, take advantage of sales for multiple purchases. For example, buy one get one free shoes, snacks and drinks. For the most savings, combine a store coupon with an offer like this.

5)Delay some of your purchases until after school starts. While there are lots of great back to school sales before school starts, try to hold off since often you will see even deeper discounts when overstocked inventory must go in a few weeks. Also, your child may change their mind about what they need based on seeing what the trends are at school.

6)Use the internet to find store coupons and online coupon codes that are not available anywhere else. For example, www.alexscoupons.com lists a huge variety of coupons and by spending a few minutes surfing before shopping you can yield big savings.

Remember there will be other expenses incurred as you get into the school year, such as after school activities, school events, and gifts so if you plan ahead, you will be in a better position to manage the financial impact.

Amy Bergin, mother of three children, creator of THE COUPONIZER®. The #1 best selling coupon organizing and shopping system in the US and Canada. To find out more visit her website by clicking HERE for THE COUPONIZER®

Your browser does not support iframes. But you can still <a href=”http://www.somethingexcitingiscoming.com” mce_href=”http://www.somethingexcitingiscoming.com”>visit the Something Exciting is Coming Countdown Clock</a>.

One of the reasons we started Parenting Zoo was to provide some great resources for parents of young kids. That’s why a lot of our posts are recipes, product reviews, book recommendations and more. But we’ve also been looking for a place where we can send you to those specific products that we can’t live without. Products that we use ourselves every day. Products that we would buy for our family and friends as gifts and more. Products that will help you parent better, feel better, look better or just live a simpler life.

And so, very soon, we’ll have the Parenting Zoo SHOP with OpenSky where you can take a look at the great products and decide if you want to buy them right then and there. Or you’ll be able to create a wish list of products for future buying, etc. It’ll be fabulous – we know you’ll love it.

The nice thing about our OpenSky shop is that we know you’ll be able to trust our suppliers. All the products that we’ll have in our shop will all be mom-tested and Parenting Zoo selected and approved so you won’t have to wonder if you are getting something of quality.

I’m looking at one of the great products we’ll be offering that is on my refrigerator right now. It turned my paper infested, magnet magnet into an organizational dream. Love it!

You won’t be overwhelmed either. It won’t be like walking into the “stuff mart” super center where you’re bombarded with 10,000 choices. It will be a shop with just enough high quality products to help make your life better. It’s that simple!

And if you have a blog or website, you can join in the fun and have a shop too. Just Contact us for more info and keep watching for the shop – it’ll open in just a couple of weeks!

Product Description
An ingeniously simple and fully-illustrated book for crafting toys from objects found around the house.

This clever guide focuses on fun, homemade projects using materials anyone can find around the house or that can be purchased for a fraction of what a commercially-produced toy can cost. Using everyday objects from cardboard tubing to paper to clothespins, readers will discover how to make such projects as:

• A milk carton balloon boat

• A rubber band banjo

• A cardboard tube kaleidoscope

• An embroidery hoop tambourine

• And more

Perfect for parents and teachers, these projects enable families to spend less while keeping entertained. Because fun doesn’t always have to come in a box-sometimes, it’s the box itself.
About the Author
Heather Swain is a former third-grade teacher, mother of two, writing instructor, magazine fact-checker, freelance writer, and award- winning author. Her articles have appeared in American Baby Magazine, Time Out New York Kids, and on Salon.com. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

A couple of years ago, I “rediscovered” the clipboard. I found it in my old box of college junk. I don’t think I ever really used it in college, but I thought I would give it a second chance. I put it in my computer desk, and it just sat there unnoticed for another year. All of a sudden I found myself working a part-time job (in addition to my day-job of raising three young children), starting a MOMS Club, and creating a business from scratch. One day, I just picked it up when I needed to carry something around to make notes. That was the day my clipboard became my most indispensable tool.

Currently my clipboard contains the stuff of my life: my Menu Planner for October, my Menu Planner for September (for reference), my Weekly Planner for this week, my Weekly Planner for next week, my Halloween Party Planner for the get-together we are having at the end of the month, my notes on what I want to include on the agenda for my MOMS Club board meeting, a list of recommended books for the book club, an itinerary for last week’s houseguests, my Monthly Cleaning Schedule, a list of articles I’m planning to write, articles I’m editing for submission, and this article which I prefer to write freehand and then type into the computer later.

A clipboard doesn’t require holes to be punched in the paper it holds. Pages and notes can quickly and easily be added or removed. It is portable, sturdy, comes in a variety of colors, and has a handy spot for my pen when it is time to get to sleep. A clipboard allows my inner preschooler to manipulate pen and paper. I may go where electricity may not be found and give my eyes a rest from the bright lights of a computer screen. Surely a woman who needed to prepare her daughter’s birthday party between doing several loads of laundry and bathing her children was the original creator of the clipboard. Maybe she had a letter to her Kindergartener’s teacher to write while her 3-year-old played on the playground. It is highly likely that she had grocery lists, to-do lists, and Christmas card lists to compile while waiting in the Dentist’s office. That woman knew she needed a firm, dry (non-sticky) place to write that she could carry with her as she went from one task to the next. Mrs. Clipboard, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

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Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find more than 500 printable lists, checklists, and planning pages to tote around on your clipboard and put your world in order.

Perfect timing since we had a funfilled Independence Day party scheduled for last Saturday with lots of people – capped off with our fabulous Egg Toss extraordinaire!

So, this year we decided we’d add a little bonus round for the top 3 pairs of egg tossers – and did an Egg Toss a la Solo cups! Talk about fun!

Here are a few shots… enjoy!

So far so good… maybe

My daughter in the middle doesn’t look too enthused about the possibilities!

Heh, heh! Good catch?

Oh and while you’re at it, can you please vote for our photo over at the Solo Cups Photo Contest page here? Thanks in advance!

All in all we’re thinking the kids need to take lessons from the guys at those Teppanyaki restaurants!

But we had great fun.

Many thanks to Solo for the goodies to share their fabulous new square products with our friends. And, if you’re in the mood to share your own fun, visit the Solo site to upload your own pictures too!

That blog disclaimer thingie:
I got the box of products for free from Solo and was under no obligation to post a positive review or anything. They were just being nice and showing off their new products!

And many thanks to my Solo cup models and my friend Dawn for being designated photographer!

Make sure you let them know that ParentingZoo.com sent you!

In our modern society, travel is no longer a luxury, but it is considered a necessary part of having a healthy and meaningful life. Anyone with a dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France or Machu Picchu in Peru can find a way to reach that destination if he or she plans well enough and long enough.

Before a ticket is purchased or a reservation is made, the first thing a person must do is to begin to save money. Travel, whether by plane, train, or automobile, is not cheap. Even if there are no immediate plans for travel, a Travel Fund can and should be started right away. Depending on the number of people in your family and the type of destination you think you are likely to choose, begin to put a set amount of money aside each paycheck. If you are paid twice a month, a good amount to start might be $50 to $100 each paycheck. Begin to deduct the determined amount from your checking account register. “Deposit” your travel savings each paycheck onto a separate page for your Travel Fund so you not only know how much you have saved, but so it will not get mixed up with the money that normally goes for regular bills and living expenses. After one year of saving for a vacation, you could possibly have $1200 to $2400 saved. This is a good start to your goal of a carefree vacation with your loved ones

The next thing you need to do after you have started a Travel Fund is to begin to formulate a travel plan so a budget can be created. Pre-travel expenses to include in your travel budget might be passports, maps, and pet care. If your family plans to drive to their vacation destination, then budgetary considerations should be made for tolls, gasoline, hotels and food along the way. If flying is the preferred or necessary mode of travel, then airline tickets, cabs, or rental cars should be included on the travel budget. Arrival at the final destination will bring more expenses to include in the budget such as hotels, food, entrance to attractions and museums, transportation costs, and souvenirs.

By following these two important steps when preparing for a vacation, you will be able to truly relax knowing you have prepared yourself financially for the costly good times of taking a vacation with family and friends.

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Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find over 400 lists and planning pages including your own Travel Fund and travel budgets, plus packing lists and itineraries, to put your world in order.

Do you ever visit other moms’ homes and wonder how they keep it so neat? Do you ever sit around in your own home with toys strewn over the floor, laundry piles (both clean and dirty) beckoning for attention, and three meals worth of dishes stacked next to the sink and wonder why you are the only mom on the planet who cannot keep up with her home?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you may be suffering from “TOMHANTY” Syndrome (Thinking Other Moms’ Homes Are Neater Than Yours). The symptoms of this terrible disease are guilt, envy, stress, and even withdrawal (did I mention guilt?). You look around as you walk from room to room wondering how it could have gotten so messy since yesterday. You believe that the new friend you just made from your weekly visit to the library could never let her house look like a tornado just went through it. You are sure that your friend whose house you visit occasionally for a scheduled playgroup would never have dust bunnies the size of . . .well, a bunny.

Welcome to the Real Moms Club, where it is not just about being a mom, but being real and knowing that you don’t have to be a perfect housekeeper. Maybe in the days of our grandmothers when society said that kids could roam unsupervised and free around town, but a mom’s house was a reflection of who she was as a woman. Today, there is a different set of priorities for many moms, and a perfect house is not usually the highest on the list, although we still imagine we are being judged on everything from how we raise our children to how much education we pursue to how great a job we land and finally to how tidy we keep house. Moms of today are stretched and pulled in many directions. Life is rarely as simple as a clean house. Stop telling yourself that you are not a good mom because your house is not always as neat as you think other moms’ homes are. Most moms are struggling to keep up as well. What is the cure to TOMHANTY Syndrome, you ask?

Well, you could drop by a friend’s house unannounced with the pretext of delivering some home-baked cookies; you could watch her face turn beet red with shame as she turns to survey the wreck of toys, laundry, and dishes behind her; you could listen to her offer up every reason why her house is in such disarray; or maybe you could just take me at my word when I say that you are not alone.

Release your guilt by making a list of what you DID accomplish today: got kids dressed, dropped kids off at school and picked kids up after, washed and folded a load of laundry, paid bills, took dog to vet, fed family for the day. It all counts toward making your house a home in which your family can grow and feel loved.

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Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find 400 lists and planning pages including cleaning schedules, daily to do lists, grocery lists, and holiday/party planning to put your world in order.

By Jill Cooper
LivingOnADime.com

As a single mother of two, I started my own home business without any capital and paid off $35,000 debt in 5 years on $1,000 a month income. I am often asked what are the top lessons I would give a family or even a single person who is dealing with a tight budget. Here are my top tips for living on a small income.

* Stop spending.

* Don’t think that using a credit card or getting a loan will make it better. Going into more debt will not help you get out of debt.

* Get rid of your pride. You may have to shop at garage sales for a while. You may not be able to have your kids in sports and you might have to say no to friends when they want you to go to an expensive restaurant. Pride is a sin. God didn’t kick the angels out of heaven because they murdered someone or were doing drugs, drinking or smoking but for pride.

* Stop worrying about what others think or whether or not you are making a good impression. We constantly tell our kids not to give in to peer pressure but we do it all the time. We Christians can be especially bad about worrying what other Christians are going to think of us. That is the same as when your kids worrying about their peers.

* Cut back on everything. You can save 50% on your grocery bill before you even go to the grocery store by simply exercising good portion control with your food. It is better for you, too. Go from a 30 minute shower to a 5 minute shower. Not only will you save on utilities, but your skin will thank you.

* This should be number one: tithe. Right now when others are panicking about their 401k’s or about what their stocks are doing, I don’t have a worry in the world. I have invested my money in Someone who has promised that no matter what happens in the world, including with finances, I and my children will be fed and taken care of. He has demonstrated His faithfulness over and over. To me, my tithe is the best savings a person can have.

* The real test of a person’s character occurs during hard times. Keep your integrity, be responsible and be trustworthy and honorable whether your situation is your fault or not, whether it is fair or unfair. Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

I once received a notice of foreclosure on my house. I had 2 weeks to come up with $35,000 and I couldn’t sell my house. I didn’t have $35. I wasn’t sure what to do. If I lost my house, my kids and I would literally be out on the streets. After a few moments of panic, I prayed and God told me what to do. One of the first things I did was to call the banker and tell him I wanted to start up our old business, which I knew nothing about and had no money for supplies, no customers and a limited market.

What loan officer do you think would say, “That’s great– forget the foreclosure and you don’t even need to make a payment until your business is up and running well”? None that I know of, but that is exactly what he said. We had banked there for a while and, because of that, he knew I always paid my bills (the foreclosure was because of my husband’s debts he incurred when we were separated). The loan officer said “Jill, I know you and trust you to pay so I’m not worried.”

Everything God tells us to do is for a good reason and it is usually for our good. He wants us to have a good name because He knows at times when things hang in the balance, a person’s good name can tip the scale in the right direction.
* Don’t decide you are going to change your ways and then expect God to suddenly produce a miracle and make all of your debt go away. God loves you, but He is also a just God. He expects you to pull your weight and if you spent 5 years carelessly spending, you may have to work extra long and hard for 5 years to get yourself out of your mess.

It would be like telling my teenage son to clean his room. After a month goes by, he is out of clean clothes, can’t find anything and has been grounded by me for failing to do what I told him to do. He tells me how sorry he is, insists he’ll never do it again and repents all over the place, but he still has to clean his room, which is such a big mess it is going to take twice as much work.

I forgive, but he is perfectly capable of cleaning it himself, so he has to clean up his own mess.

Here’s something to think about:

In Matthew 6:24, the Bible says “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” We always think that this verse relates to having lots or money, that it only concerns the wealthy or those seeking wealth, but it can pertain to the poor and those in debt, too.

Be careful. What controls your waking thoughts? God or money? What do you seek after more? God or a way to pay your debts? What do you talk about more with your family? God or how the bills are piling up “in these hard economic times”? Do you spend all of your money eating out, playing a game of golf, buying your kids sports uniforms and dance lessons and having your nails done or do you first tithe?

I have found most people give their money to whoever or whatever has their heart and soul. I don’t say these things to condemn you but to get you thinking, “Do I have things mixed up? Can I do something differently? Do I need to change something, even if it is something small?”

We guard our families in so many areas. Don’t let Satan sneak in the back door with this and destroy you, your family and your testimony.

As a single mother of two, Jill Cooper started her own home business without any capital and paid off $35,000 debt in 5 years on $1,000 a month income. Jill and her daughter Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the editors of LivingOnADime.com.

When my daughters were little, I really (REALLY) wanted to get a little red wagon for them to ride in.  At that time they were VERY hard to find – in fact I could only find a doll sized one. They loved it, of course, but I wanted them to ride in it, not their dolls.  We ended up just getting one of those green plastic ones which, of course, worked just fine but was about a 2 out of 10 on the cuteness factor!

Just imagine your little ones in this deluxe model of the adorable RED wagon:

So I was thrilled not too long ago to see that these wagons were coming back again in full force. Love it!

Anyway, you can participate by taking a photo of your kids in their own Radio Flyer wagon and posting it on www.RadioFlyerArt.com.  If you do, come back here and let me know so I can look for your photo!  And have fun!