What Do You Do Wednesday? Back to School Style!

Hit the mall, stroll through the aisles of Target, or even pop into your favorite drugstore and you can tell something different is in the air.  That’s right Lords and Ladies, Back to School shopping is in the full swing.  With so many discounts and great deals (and of course cute new clothes!), it’s easy to get swept up in the pandemonium that is the Back to School Mania.  But how do you determine what you really need and what’s just too much?  We’re beginning a series of What Do You Do Wednesday Posts focusing on just that.  Here are some guiding principles we’re using to make sure we don’t go overboard.

• Evaluate what you already have.  In particular I’m thinking clothes with this one.  Wash your child’s laundry from top to bottom.  Have she or he try on every item that is iffy in the fit department.  Eliminate too small items or things that are worn out or too numerous (how do we get so many t-shirts?!). Don’t forget to count the pairs of socks and underwear and try on shoes, too.  You might realize that you really don’t need any new t-shirts or as I did this AM your little prince or princess has absolutely no jeans that fit.  

• Do you really need a new backpack or lunch box?  The Eldest Princess got a great new backpack through Upward Basketball in January that we’ll probably begin the year using.  If it begins to show signs of wear or tear, we’ll snap one up that’s been put on clearance.  She definitely does need a new lunch bag though.  She took her lunch almost every day last year and it got worked over.  If you do buy a new item, donate or throw away the used one.  We have hung on to old backpacks in the past and eventually the excess clutters your life.

• Watch the sales and plan your attack.  I always advise getting the Sunday paper for the coupons but this time of year, it’s also great to look through the ads.  While normally, I avoid it (I find it just makes me want stuff) during Back to School season measuring and matching where the best deals are located especially for school supplies can save quite a bit of cash.

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What Do You Do Wednesday? Back to School Celebratin’