I’m actually all set with everything for the kids to go back to school. Sorry if that annoys you. It drives me crazy when people tell me they’re finished their Xmas shopping early, but school is starting soon.

Hit factory outlets

I got lucky because my kids are older and fussier but we found a Bluenotes outlet that had all kinds of clothes they were crazy about.  I even grabbed myself a couple turtlenecks and my husband a couple golf shirts.

I swear my shoes were $2.50 and they’re not goofy looking. The downside was that the store had this strange sign up that said “Change rooms closed permanently.” When we got home, everything actually fit.  It was a miracle.

Of course they didn’t like my $2.50 shoes and who wants to match with their mother so we had to get those separately. Shoes are a nightmare because they need a pair for gym at school, a pair to kick back in at home, and a pair for school. That’s not including dress shoes. My son wears jeans with a dress shirt so casual shoes are alright but runners look kind of funny in a dress. Anyway, we found a buy one get one half price deal at Zellers so that helped.

Scan fliers for sales

If you keep your eyes peeled on the fliers you can find paper for 50 cents and pencils for even less. Stock up on those. It doesn’t seem to matter how much paper I buy them because they will always come back asking for more. I suspect they give it away to their friends so keep a secret stash.

If you buy a little here and there ahead of time when you see the sales, it’s more manageable.

Backpacks you can’t really skimp on once they get older because they need to hold a bit of weight without falling apart. We did manage to hold out until we found a sale on some good ones.

• For years I have attempted to solve the sock dilemma by making everyone wear the same socks. Unfortunately, two of the boys tear them up and/or lose them fast and the girls are left sockless. Now I have colour coded the twins. One is blue and one is black so they can’t fight over whose is whose. This will save money because my husband  won’t be able to bust the toes out of the kids socks or claim they’re his.

Haircuts

I keep coupons for haircuts but my youngest son actually prefers me to cut it. I guess I have done it so many times I’m getting good at it and he knows what to expect.

My youngest daughter is not so easy and this year she wants her hair relaxed so we have an appointment to get that done.  I figure since I cut my son & husband’s hair, it evens out paying the salon for my daughter. I tried relaxing it myself once and it was stiff as a board so I’m missing something.

My stepson is 20 and working so he’ll get his own done. I buzzed his off for him once and he never asked again so don’t think he liked it.  My eldest daughter moved out but she still comes around if she wants her hair dyed a weird colour.

• I have heard that some schools sell back to school kits. Does anyone have experience with that? Does it save you any money? I kind of enjoy the hunt for bargains but I’m strange. Does anyone else have some money saving tips for back to school shopping?

Tags: General, Saving Money //