The Back to School Shopping Strategy
 Our local grocery store has brought out the back to school supplies. Rows upon rows of pencils, colored pencils, ink pens, felt pens, dry erase pens, erasers, scissors, geometry kits, papers, and binders! Wow, have you looked at those binders lately? They have zippers, pockets, built-in calculators, clear pouches for holding stuff. All for less than $15.00 .... I think I may have to get one of those just for me! And please oh please, don't get me started on the pens and other writing utensils. I am such a sucker for multi-colored gel pens and black paper. I swear these stores market their stuff more to the clutter collecting moms than the kids!
So, how does a pen-collecting mom make it through back to school without loading up on a bunch of extra stuff for herself? I begin by "shopping" in my own office supply stash at home. Don't look so shocked! I have learned something over the years. As I get rid of my extra supplies, it gives me an excuse to restock. Since I am wiser than before, I know that I can make do with one or two good quality colored gel pens, instead of the complete set of 40 cheap gel pens that will dry up before I actually use them. I have even been known to give away gel pens as Halloween treats!
I have a confession to make. I am cheap when it comes to things that I call "disposable". Disposable means something that is going to only be used once, will only last a few months, or that I will never see again (that would be the plastic dishes in the lunch box!). So, this devious mom has developed a few family rules to keep these back to school costs down.
- School supplies: on the last day of school from the previous year, I cleaned out my children's backpacks. Anything that was trash was tossed, anything that was paper was recycled, and anything that could be used again next year was added to my "office stash" (a big plastic container). I sharpened all the pencils and the pencil crayons, I peeled the glue off the scissors, removed the labels from the binders, and found the edge of the tape roll. I washed out the backpack and stashed it away. When it is time for back to school, I bring out the "office stash". Then, I let the kids go at it. With their lists in hand, they have to find as many things as possible in the stash. I am firm about this. Pencil crayons can be used for more than one year and scissors that worked two months ago will still work in September. Now, this is the hard part, I even part with some of my beloved gel pens. The kids are thrilled. This year all I have to buy are paper, notebooks, and one eraser.
- School Clothes: Children's clothes are eventually disposable. I try to extend the inevitable for as long as possible by telling them, that no, those pants are not too short, or yes it is OK to roll up the sleeves on that shirt for a few months. When the kid can no longer squeeze into it, it is passed down to the next kid. When we have run out of kids or the clothes require more mending than my glue gun can handle, they are tossed. So I have a rule, no disposable clothes are going to cost more than my clothes. If more clothes are needed for the school year, I only buy ONE new outfit before school starts. The reason is, during the second week of September all the back to school clothes have gone on sale.
- Running shoes: I hate buying running shoes for the kids. For me, this rates right up there with root canals! I just don't get it. A child who spends hours going from store to store trying on at least 20 pairs of shoes will finally find the right shoe (with sparkles and red flashing lights no less), and immediately upon exiting the store (with new shoes on feet to break them in) will stomp through a four inch water puddle and announce with soggy wet feet, that these shoes are perfect. Thanks mom! To me, they now look just as disgusting as the old pair did.
Over the years, I have developed a few shoe rules that everyone in the family knows and understands.
- Last year's indoor shoes become this summer's outdoor shoes. If the shoes still fit come fall time, they will continue their life as "outdoor shoes" until the toes are trying to escape out the front!
- Broken shoelaces do not constitute a need for new shoes.
- No kid running shoe is allowed to cost more than a week's worth of groceries.
- When new shoes are unavoidable - dad takes them shopping!
- Gym clothes: I tell my kids that "gym clothes" are their only opportunity to wear summer clothes in the winter. The sports shorts and T-shirt that were worn and loved in July can now be worn all year long in the gym. The rest of the summer clothes are packed away until spring.
 Backpacks: These are the pre-cursers to women's purses! Even if you have sons, I swear backpacks are marketed towards women. We can't resist things with pockets, matching pencil cases and lunch boxes, and cute frills! What moms don't know until they actually start buying backpacks is that today's backpacks only have a 9-month life span (school lasting 10 months). Every May, either the bottom, or the main zipper will blow, rendering the backpack useless for the rest of the year. Here comes the part my kids hate! When they blow their own backpack, they have to use mom or dad's old one left from University (how is it that the old ones have lasted so long?). And, now that the kids are used to using mom's or dad's old backpack, it becomes their new one for the following year.
- Lunch kits: These are the little brothers to the backpack. Again, pockets, thermoses, containers, and cute ice packs have been added to complete the package. One lunch kit is allowed per kid per year. Last year's is used whenever possible. If the lunch kit "dies" during the year, they either buy their own new one, or switch to using a plastic grocery bag (they haven't lost a lunch kit yet LOL).
- Plastic Containers: Where oh where have all those matching lids gone? oh where oh where can they be??? Containers and lids go their separate ways as soon as possible. If the dishwasher doesn't melt the lid, or the dog doesn't chew the tabs off the containers, the gases from the one-week-old sandwich science experiment will blow the lid off inside the lunch kit. Your little one will then leave the lunch kit in their locker until the janitor notices knocking from within late at night. Your little one will then be instructed to bring home this lunch kit and it will be promptly deposited in the corner of the garage to be found the next time you dig out your bicycle. By this time, both the lid and the container will have dissolved into some primal goo that has taken on a life of its own! The more expensive the plastic container, the more spectacular are the colors of the goo! If the food doesn't have to be microwaved, sour cream containers work just fine.
- The haircut: During the summer, the hair turns into a glob of sand, sunscreen, and whatever else the kid encountered during the day. Of course baths take care of most of the grime on a regular basis, but the hair seems to grow and get wilder and wilder. The mandatory haircut about a week before school starts takes care of this. Until my kids were six or seven, I cut their hair myself (it always grew back LOL). That $19.95 pair of hair scissor has paid itself back over and over! And even today, if only the bangs or the bottoms need a trim, those scissors will come out.
- The band instrument: My kids have two, well three choices when it comes to selecting their band instrument. The clarinet, which I bought at a garage sale for $15.00, and the flute, which I bought at a garage sale for $30.00. I took them both to a music shop, got them cleaned, checked out, and whatever else they do - that added another $50.00. If they want to take up saxophone or tuba, I tell them they can do it later in life. Oh, and the third choice - take drama and art instead. Some people are actually buying instruments on a payment plan! Yikes! The way I see it, student loans are bad enough when the kids go to college. There is no need to start this debt in primary school!
 AS for restocking my own "office supply stash", I wait until the third week of September when all those back to school supplies are now marked down 75%. Woohoo!
Catch you later - Cindy
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