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- Apple - that you slice up and put in their lunch (with a little squirt of lemon and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar)
- Apple stuff - that you DON'T BUY the teacher this year (Cindy here - Oh yes! Leave the apple clutter in the store. Teachers would rather have a thank-you letter and perhaps a modest gift certificate to enjoy)
- Alarm clock - to get my son out of bed in time for school.
- After school snacks made from scratch
- Backpack - the same one the kids used last year.
- Bedtime - getting the kids into bed early enough to get a good night's sleep.
- B is for budget. Know what you have to spend and are willing to spend.
- B is for the binders I bought last year when school supplies were 75% off.
- B is for our family's breakfast plan so I can send the kids to school with good food in their tummies (Monday - oatmeal with fruit, Tuesday - pancakes or waffles with fruit, Wednesday - eggs and bacon/ham/or sausages, Thursday - hot oatmeal with fruit, and Friday - cereal with toast and fruit. Add a cup of milk, some yogurt, and the occasional glass of juice and my kids are ready for the day).
- B is for the band instruments I purchased second hand at a garage sale (Cindy here - this is my tip - I bought a clarinet for $15.00 and a flute for $35.00 - both of these instruments have been used by the kids in band. When they are through with the band program, I plan on donating these instruments to the school so other students can use them).
- B is for the bike that my son can't wait to ride to school (Cindy here - B is also for the bike helmet that works much better on the head than the handlebars)
- C is for clean the college student's room when they leave. I did this last year and found $20
- Cis for Consignment shopping. I went to Stuff, Ect. and they were having there 50% everything in the store sale. I got my 8 year old clothes for the new year for under $40. and school supplies at Walmart for 10. She's all set for $50. YAHHHHHHH I also have a 2 year old that i got clothes for also for another 20. So I think I did good. I live in Anamosa, IA near Cedar Rapids.
- C is for the clothing we already own, freshly washed and pressed so it can be worn back to school.
- C is for the cute little tupperware CONTAINERS that were 10 for a dollar. I can fill these on my own with salsa or applesauce or veggie dip. They are still fun and I'm not paying three times as much for the pre-packaged stuff.
- C is for the 1/4 cup (125 ml) canning jars I discovered this year. These little glass jars are so tough - almost impossible to break. And they don't leak. Plus they are a fraction of the cost of many of the plastic small containers. I load them up with yogurt, crackers, veggie dip, raisons, cereal - whatever is handy for lunch.
- C is for camera to take that first day of school picture. This is a tradition in our home. These pictures mean more to our family than the expensive school photos taken by the rent-a-photographer.
- C is for consolidate trips to pick up school supplies. Fewer trips means less time spent in stores being bombarded with buy-buy-buy and less gas/driving.
- C is for the celebration we have on the first day of school - including cake!
- C is for cloth napkins in the lunchbox
- Dictionary - my brother's old one from when he was in elementary school - so the kids can "look it up" themselves.
- D is for drinks brought from home in the lunch bag.
- D is for the desk we bought second hand for our son and daughter.
- D is for dad coming whenever possible to school events.
- E is for ENCOURAGE. One of the greatest things we can DO for our kids to get them ready for school is to encourage them. Help them get excited about learning!
- E is for "enough"- no need to buy more.
- E is for Erma Bombeck - EVERY mom should treat themselves to a read of "The Best of Erma Bombeck." Mine is on hold at the library right now. Giggle!
- E is for essentials. Figure out what is essential and what is a want. Essentials are paid for first.
- E is for extra buy extra paper, floders, pen, penciles ect while they are on sale now so you have them for next semister
- E is for experiment with new lunch ideas to see what my kids will like to eat.
- F is for friends with hopes of making some new ones.
- F is for Free books from the library to help the kids study.
- F is for the French dictionary I bought at a garage sale for 5 cents.
- Gel pens I am going to leave in the store (Cindy here - I love gel pens LOL).
- G is for the garage sales where I bought used binders, skates, and a bike for my son to use for school.
- G is for the glass canning jars (the tiniest ones) that I am using to pack yogurts, raisons, cereal, salad dressings, and other small things into for their lunch. These are almost round - they roll instead of break.
- Homework - finding a place in the home where my childen can concentrate on their studies.
- H is for home haircut. (Cindy here - LOL - this brings back memories! I was "allowed" to cut my daughter's hair until they started kindergarten. After that my skills with the scissors weren't appreciated. Once in a while, I'll still do a quick trim - so long as I follow the line from the previous cut.)
- H is for hand-me-downs. (My son isn't in school yet, but gets hand me downs from his school age cousin. Good fall jackets are hard to find. Thankfully, I don't have to.)
- H is for the help my husband and I give to the kids.
- H is for the hangers that we hung up my daughter's clothes so she could see that there wasn't "nothing to wear."
- I is for INVOLVED. Plan now to get involved in your child's school activities. Last minute requests for cupcakes or parties are overwhelming, but even us busy working moms can plan ahead and feel great. As soon as the PTA calendar comes out, I figure out which holiday party or field trip fits best with my work schedule and plan right then by requesting a half day off and volunteering early.. It lets me stay connected to my kids' classes and they look forward to it!
- I is for the ice packs that keep the lunches safe and cold during the day.
- J is for some juice at breakfast.
- J is for the Janitor who greets us at the school each morning.
- K is for a kiss good bye.
- Lost and found where my son's extra mitts and winter boots always seem to end up.
- L is for lunch bag from last year.
- L is for the lunch box that has been used by every child, handed down
from one to the next. It's a tradition in our house!
- L is for lists, both for figuring out what you have and what you need.
- L is for the lunches my children make the night before.
- L is for limit on the number of activities that we will sign the kids up for.
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- M is for the mom who sends her kids to school with a hug and kiss.
- M is for the money I'll save packing the children's lunches.
- M is for making memories.
- M is for the morning routine that helps the kids get ready on their own.
- Note - the "I love you" note you slip everyday into their lunch.
- N is for the name tags we iron on on all the clothes so we get them back if the children forget them at school. There are nametags on anything that goes to school.
- N is for new notebooks - 5cents at Wal-Mart (now that is frugal).
- O is for the outfits made up from our neatly washed and pressed already owned clothing.
- Posterboard - purchase a few extras and store them under your bed for those "Mom, I need to make a poster. It's due tomorrow." We get ours from the dollar store for 50 cents each. (Been there, done that)
- P is for PASS on all the endcaps and latest frenzies. I was so happy that the school required plain folders this year so we did not have any ranting over the latest Hannah Montana or HSM offerings :)
- P is for pens, pencils, and paper - plenty left from last year.
- P is for Plan ahead. When shopping (Thrift store) I always keep my eye open for deals on the next size my son will be in, the next season etc. Purchase school supplies on clearance. I want to enjoy August with my kids outside, not running around like a nut in the mall! I also have 3 months worth of drinking boxes, treats and cereal ready for September! I just have to add veggies/fruit and sandwich to make a quick lunch for my kids!
- P is for the penny items I bought at Staples to send in to teachers when they ask for more school supplies.
- Q is for quiet - homework time.
- Q is for quality. Some things, like backpacks, are worth buying better quality so they will last longer and you aren't paying again and again to replace.
- R is for the recycled supplies that we cleaned out of the backpacks last year and will reuse this year.
- R is for REVIEW. Fifteen minutes a day in the last two weeks before school starts will put your kids miles ahead when they get back in the classroom. Send them back with confidence. Help them clear the cobwebs out of their brains a bit early!!
- R is for reading.
- R is for reusable lunch bags.
- R is for reuse and recycle what ever you can from last year.
- S is for their sneakers and shoes from last year that can be washed and used till they outgrow them. New patterned shoe laces make them look better. I get the shoe laces at the Dollar Store in multi packs.
- S is for sharing how my day was.
- S is for the healthy snack that I pack for my kids in the morning. Lunch is late in our school.
- S is for the school sports teams that my kids are encouraged to join.
- Teachers - those wonderful people we've trusted to teach our children (Cindy here - be sure to get to know these teachers! Stop in frequently to say hello and ask how things are going. It makes a huge difference.)
- Tears - the tears I shed when my oldest started kindergarten.
- Tears - the tears I shed when my youngest started kindergarten.
- the Tupperware that I put their lunches in, also with name tags on it.
- T is for toothbrush - maybe a new one. (Cindy here - we restock the toothbrushes four times per year - two dental checkups (get free brushes), plus Christmas stocking stuffer, plus Easter Treat).
- T is for shopping at Thrift Store for clothing, I purchased 20 long sleeve tops in size 10 for my son for the fall for .50 cents each!!!! I would have paid more then that for one top :)
- T is for Thermos for taking warm food or cold drinks for school lunches instead of buying them. (Cindy here - a Thermos is a HUGE part of our kid's winter lunches - soup, leftovers, hotdogs, and even hot dips for veggies and crackers. It took a while, but we found a wide-mouth, not too tall Thermos that actually fits in their lunch kits.)
- T is for the television that is NOT going in the bedroom.
- T is for taking stock of what we already have before buying!
- U is for the used graphing calculator purchased from a student who graduated last year and won't be needing it this year.
- U is for the uniforms my girls reuse and then hand down (and we share with friends too).
- V is for variety of vegetables to keep me healthy.
- V is for volunteer at the school to get to know the teachers and staff better.
- W is for the walks we will take to go to school, except in poor weather.
- W is for WAIT - everything will be on sale by mid September. It is still warm enough here for my kids to wear summer clothes the first two weeks of school.
- W- is for the water I will be sending in their reusable water bottles
for lunch and snack.
- W is for walking to school or the bus stop so no gas wasted.
- W is for waiting to buy clothes.
- X is for an eXtra pair of socks tucked away in the backpack for those wet days!
- X is for the eXtra supplies I buy when everything is marked down for the next year (our school publishes the "needed" item list for every grade so I buy ahead for the next year).
- Y is for "Y" (why) spend more money than I have to on back to school.
- Y is for YARD SALE where I have been shopping all summer to pick up clothes for my kids. I love to go to sales in ritzy neighborhoods or fancy churches. Some of the clothes still had the tags on them! (Cindy here - when my kids were really small - nearly all their clothes came from garage sales. The only rule I put in place once they started at school was to shop in different neighborhoods than our own - so no previous owner could recognize the outfits.)
- Z zzz's is for some good nights rest!
- Z is for zipper repair at the local show repair only costs a couple bucks and can make for a whole new jacket!
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