In some parts of the country, school has already started. Here in Wisconsin the official first day of school for most districts is September 1st. One of the things that are on the mind of parents is school supplies. Not just the supplies children need at school but the stuff they need at home. Many items they need duplicates of (pencils, paper, calculator, markers, crayons, etc.) and some items you need to keep stocked so that your children can pull from them throughout the school year (notebooks, pocket folders, etc.). Where does all of this fit into housekeeping? Well, without … Continue reading →
August 20 through 22, 2010, is the sales tax holiday or tax-free weekend in Texas. The sales tax exemption applies to clothes and shoes that are under $100. Backpacks are also included in the exemption. Students who like to pull their heavy book-load can rest assured that their bags are still covered as long as the bag can be worn on the back. (I wish we’d had wheeled bookbags when I was in school.) Shoppers are allowed to buy up to ten backpacks at a time and still be tax-free. To help even further anything typically classified as school supplies … Continue reading →
Being able to home school my girls was a choice I was glad I made. Not only could I see over their education and spend quality time with them, but it was far cheaper than public school. Back when I was a kid public school was free. Each child got their books, pencils, paper, art supplies, and many other school supplies for free. We’d even go on several field trips throughout the year, all for free as well. About the only thing my parents had to pay for was my lunch. Times have definitely changed, especially over the last decade. … Continue reading →
Forget about the Dyson, I should have asked Santa for a label maker for Christmas. Not that the big guy delivered on my uber vacuum Christmas wish (cue Barbie Dream House flashback). Still, I might have had a better chance of scoring the less expensive “mom tool.” It sure would have come in handy a few days ago when I was forced to label nearly 100 individual school supplies. Did I mention I only have one kid… and she’s in kindergarten. HALF-DAY KINDEGARTEN! I’m not here to kvetch about the inordinate amount of items (in my opinion) needed to educate … Continue reading →
The mad rush for back to school usually involves buying a lot of supplies. All of these things can add up and one day wind up in a landfill. And just imagine all of that paper that is generated by your school. Here are some ideas on how to make back to school time a back to green time. Check to see if your school is signed up with a program that pays for recycling. Ours is, and there is a big bin outside to collect paper. The school earns money for every pound of paper that is recycled. If … Continue reading →
One wonderful thing that frugal living people can do is to share their bounty with others. Whether it is sharing with friends and family or giving to special charities and families in need, you can take advantage of some opportunities right now. Not only will this give you the ability to give more for less, but also your spending on gifts will get distributed quite nicely instead of occurring over just a few weeks. School Supplies One brilliant mention in our church’s newsletter reminded us to stock up on school supplies. In December, we have a few different giving missions, … Continue reading →
Bulletproof backpacks and “Slow Down” signs may not be on your child’s school supply list, but you might consider investing in them anyway once you read the rest of this blog. BULLETPROOF BACKPACK Forget about having your child make a fashion statement with his backpack. If you really want to keep your student safe at school, then get him a bulletproof bag. My Child’s PackIt is one of the most popular bulletproof backpacks on the market. The non-descript bag can stop an assortment of bullets, including 9-millimeter hollow point bullets. The backpack’s creator says the bag is multi-purpose. For example, … Continue reading →
So much for summer! Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, heck, even my favorite supermarket have ditched their displays of sun chairs, sunscreen, sunglasses and sand toys to make way for back-to-school supplies. Now, instead of deciding on the type of cooler to take to summer sports camp, your son will be faced with the dilemma of picking between a new Transformers backpack and one that features SpongeBob SquarePants in all his electric yellow glory. However, before you allow your child free rein in the backpack aisle you might want to consider these helpful safety tips: Make sure you choose a … Continue reading →
It’s time for some new coupon deals. New printables paired up with sales at Wal-Mart and your local grocery store will score you cheap peanuts, Powerade, a baseball cap, popsicles, school supplies, and lots more. How about free Cheerios? Keep reading to find out all the details. The Planters Peanut deal is even better than I originally thought at Wal-Mart. I found 14 ounce jars of peanuts for $2.00 each. So I bought 3 Kool-Aids for .20 each and a jar of peanuts and got a .40 overage. You have to buy 3 Nabisco, Kraft, or Oscar Meyer products in … Continue reading →
The stores are finally catching up with my thinking. Did you know that the first back to school sales have started. I checked out the Deals blog to find some great ones. I’ve been talking about how important it is to start getting your school supplies together early for the best way of saving money on them. I’ve already covered shopping the store sales, now let us take a look at some other places for cheap or free school supplies. Some of these sources may surprise you! Free pencils I have seen so many offers for free pencils online. Whether … Continue reading →
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