Get Organized For Back To School

Whenever I think of school I think of an old song my grandmother use to sing.

A song written in 1907 by Will Cobb and Gus Edwards.......

School days, school days

Dear old Golden Rule days

'Reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic

Taught to the tune of the hick'ry stick

You were my queen in calico

I was your bashful, barefoot beau

And you wrote on my slate, "I Love You, Joe"

When we were a couple o' kids

Every year when the back to school list gets printed off I am amazed by how much is required and expected of parents to buy for their kids. I recall school being a lot simpler in regards to expectations for supplies when I was growing up.

Long gone are the days when we "wrote on our slates, when we were a couple of kids."

One can easily spend a lot of money on back to school shopping. With five step children it gets quite expensive with all that the lists entail. We spent well over $150.00 for three kids on school supplies this year and still have two to go. At the end of the school year the kids and I go through their back packs and we pull out the items that can be reused for the next year. Sometimes kids come home with partially used notebooks or markers that have barely been used. We take all of these items and put them in a storage bin for the new school year. In August when the kids receive their back to school lists we shop the house first. We rummage through our drawer in the kitchen where we keep all of our pens and pencils. We also pull out that bin we tucked away back in June and pull out any items that are on the back to school list.

Here are a few tips to help save a buck or two maybe even five, ten or twenty dollars.

-Shop the house first before you purchase anything new.

-Pull out the bin from storage that you tucked away in June with left over school supplies

_Shop St. Vinny's first. I always find gently used binders there.

_When we were shopping at Office Depot I noticed a buy back program. Return one used

binder and get credited $2.00 toward's a new binder. When you purchase three to four binders per kid the savings adds up.

-When your reading your back to school list take note that they often recommend specific types of products by brand. Often these brands are more expensive. Feel free to venture off the beaten path and purchase a less expensive brand.

-Grab the store flyer and take advantage of the deals listed and stock up on products. We snagged Elmer's glue for 1 cent.