Yep! It’s that time again. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the first commercial advertising a back-to-school sale. It didn’t seem possible. Didn’t the kids just get out of school? I have no idea how this summer flew by!
The school supply list arrived just a few days after I heard the commercial, so it confirmed that our lazy (ha!) summer days were numbered…
I don’t know about you, but even the thought of back-to-school shopping tends to send shivers up my spine. It can be a rather stressful experience. The stores are always chaotic and crowded, and half the time, we leave the checkout without something on the list. Regardless of if it was forgotten or the store was sold out, it means the same thing – ANOTHER TRIP. Not really a cause for celebration or one that brings immense joy…
Since we are on a journey of finding faith and joy, I thought I’d share some suggestions for some strategies that helped us. Considering back-to-school shopping is a necessity, (and not generally thought of as anything joyful), I decided I needed to look at it a bit differently. Usually, I saw this day as one that was filled with activities that drained our joy and were pretty stressful. So, I knew I needed to do as much as I could to make it work more smoothly.
The first part of that change included a major attitude adjustment on my end. (It’s not just kids who resist being told what to do and buy…) So, I figured if I could re-frame my thinking and come up with a system for successfully accomplishing this less-than desirable task, then, maybe – just maybe, I could turn back-to-school shopping into something that may not add more joy, but, hopefully, stop taking joy from our family.
So, here goes…
1. Have the List In-Hand – Before you go shopping.
Whether you print the supply list from your child’s school website, or get the list from a store, look it over BEFORE going to the store shopping. It can help you get a good battle plan…er – strategy – for getting everything your child needs. And, there may be things at your house that were left over from previous years that don’t have to be purchased again. I mean, really – how many pairs of scissors should one child need to buy over the course of his school career?!? Any items that can be crossed off before ever stepping foot in a store definitely adds to my joy!
2. Check out Sales Flyers or Ads
Although I was very surprised to hear a commercial for back-to-school shopping, it did remind me to search for other sales to see how we could save some money throughout this process. Whether you look through your Sunday paper, watch TV, or search online for sales, be sure to check them all out. This must be the year of Nike, because I found the same 25% off sale at three different stores. That made step 3 much easier and a lot less restrictive as I had a lot more options.
3. Plan Your Strategy and Route
Unless your school district and a local store have come to some sort of agreement and will coordinate the availability of items your child needs for school, (cue the harps…) you’re going to have to go to more than one store. So, in order to make the most of your shopping trip, (and not spend all of your money and drain all of your joy in just one day), it is very beneficial to plan out your route. This way, you are more efficient in your shopping, and, will hopefully not have to go BACK to any stores because you missed a pencil pouch… (You know – the fuzzy one that EVERYONE will have this year…)
4. Divide and Conquer
If you have more than one child, consider shopping separately if you can. I have found it much easier to focus on just one child – and just one list – at t time. There is a much smaller chance of missing an item and having to go back (gasp!). If it is not possible to only shop with one child at a time, enlist the help of a friend or other family member. Thankfully, on our shopping day, my mom was in town. She took a cart and went off with Spencer and his list, and I went off with Eliana and her list. We met up when we were finished and it all went so smoothly. Plus – we didn’t miss a thing!!
5. Buy a Couple Extra…
Now is the time of amazing sales. Remember all the commercials? When your kids run out of paper in their notebooks and sharpen their last pencil in November, I can almost guarantee you can’t go and grab any replacements for just pennies. So, I typically purchase a few extra supplies to have on hand. Not only can the kids take what they need as they run out, but I have been thankful for the extra notebook lying around when inspiration struck! Plus, I really love all the fun pens and different office supplies the stores carry at this time of year…
6. Save Your Receipts
It might not seem like you would need to keep a record of notebooks and pencils, but hang onto them anyway. There are often things on them that you may end up referring to later. As it turned out during our shopping trip, we needed to exchange a backpack before even leaving the mall! You just never know if a child will need something different or not at all. Having a receipt to accompany the exchange or return just makes life easier for everyone.
So those are my suggestions for finding as much joy as possible in getting the kids ready to go back to school. Hopefully they can help in your home as well.
This is definitely not an area I immediately think of that can add joy to our family. But, just having a task like this go smoothly and get crossed of the list sure didn’t hurt…
Your Thoughts?
What tips and tricks have you found that have helped make back-to-school shopping go well for your children? I would love to hear any suggestions you have for the process to more fun and less stressful! I can’t wait to hear from all of you!
