Tag: back-to-school shopping

Declutter Before Back to School

Posted on by Jordank

Most young people will return to school in just a few weeks. In many regions, school starts as early as mid-August, and that means there’s no time like the present to not only shop for the new clothes, textbooks and gadgets they’ll need for the upcoming school year, but also make room for those items by cleaning out some of the old stuff they won’t.

If your kids are still young, that’s great — you can help them form a foundation of habits that they can use throughout life. “Four-year-olds aren’t super-great declutterers, but they can certainly look through a pile of their drawings and pick out their favorites, or try out a pile of markers to figure out which ones are dried up,” says the Frugal Girl blog.

Help young children sort things into categories, and make “keep” and “get rid of” piles within each. Resist the urge to conduct the decision-making yourself; like everyone else, kids get attached to their stuff, and may be hurt if you make a call without their input. Instead, gently urge them to save only their favorites in each category (clothing, books, toys, etc.).

When they complete each segment of the task, box up the lightly-used stuff and contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. To keep things orderly, invest in some plastic bins to keep like items together, and reinforce the advantages of decluttering by pointing out how neat, clean and spacious their shelves and rooms become.

If your kids are already in their teenage years, the battle may be more difficult, says The Non-Consumer Advocate. Again, you should involve them in the decluttering process; it is not OK to arbitrarily clean and toss. Do, however, set concrete limits on how many of a particular item can be kept: X number of T-shirts or X number of games.

If you’re sending a child to college for the first time, you have a golden opportunity to declutter your home. You might have plans to repurpose his or her room, and even if you don’t, there’s likely a ton of stuff they won’t need during the transition into adulthood that you can store, sell, donate or throw away before they go.

As they pack for school, again: Create piles of items to keep, donate and trash. Almost any item of clothing your child doesn’t want to take to college is fair game for a donation, as are toys and games they’ve outgrown. Take this opportunity to have your child create his or her own bin of special memories, says the SpareFoot Blog, and store it in a safe place.

When your child moves out of the house for good, they can take that bin with them — and you can reclaim the space!

Back to School!

Posted on by Jordank

If you walk into nearly any store at this time of year, it’s hard to miss the telltale signs that kids will be back to school soon. Paper, pencils, folders and calculators seem to be everywhere, not to mention the stacks of shirts and jeans.

Did you know that August is the second-largest sales month for retailers? That’s great news for parents eager to take advantage of sales, coupons and online retailers for the best bargains as they outfit their children with the clothing and tools they’ll need for the school year.

Here’s a handy list of no-nonsense, money-saving tips to get your students—and their closets—ready for school:

  • What will your children need for school? Don’t just guess; take a trip through their rooms, dressers and closets to form an inventory for each child.
  • Empty drawers of any clothing your child has outgrown. Donate clothing that’s in good condition.
  • Determine if you can give some pieces of clothing new life with tie-dye. Are pants too short? Turn them into shorts or capri pants.
  • Develop a shopping list for each child.
  • Set a budget. Remember, there is a difference between wants and needs. If you can afford it, let each child select a splurge item.
  • When you are shopping, train your children to find the sale rack. Explain to them how these items, if they fit, can help stretch your budget.
  • If you have more than one school-aged youngster, consider shopping with one child at a time, and make it special by stopping for lunch or dinner on the way home.
  • Develop a shopping map to reduce driving time. You might be able to find all the clothing you need at one store. And, if you’re lucky, that store will offer school supplies as well.
  • Don’t forget that online retailers often run sales with no shipping charges. It’s another stress-free option if your child can’t tolerate long shopping excursions.
  • If your child likes certain name brands that are likely to bust your budget, check out closeout stores such as T.J. Maxx or Marshalls to reduce costs.
  • Looking to stretch your budget even further? Department stores will be reducing fall inventory with great sales in October. Consider shopping for part of your back-to-school list at that time.

Above all, make the back-to-school process fun and exciting for your child. Helping your child look well-dressed and ready to learn is a great way of highlighting the importance of school.

As you’re going through closets, separate out the clothes and other items your children have outgrown or no longer need or want. Then give us a call. We’ll come and take those used items off your hands—and you’ll be benefiting veterans in the process.