Tag Archives: school supplies

Have Fun Repurposing School Supplies

Forget about packing lunches; unpacking my kid’s backpack on the last day of school has got to me the worst mom job ever. The sheer volume of crud that is shoved into that Scooby bag is mind-boggling.  While I’d love to dump the contents of the entire bag into the trash, I am far too frugal to let even the smallest pencil stub enter the garbage if it can serve a purpose somewhere in our home. If you are looking to save money this summer, don’t give into the temptation to dump your child’s old school supplies.  Rather, sort through … Continue reading →

Getting Organized for a New School Year

Organization.  We all want it but few can maintain it for very long.  When I was in school a teacher once said that good organization skills alone could raise a letter grade.  I agree, which is why I am currently getting a C in homemaking skills.  I decided enough was enough.  It was time to live like an adult.  It was time to stop envying the organized and become of the envied.  Besides, I grew tired of trying to pretend I knew what I was doing.  My husband would ask the kids, “Where are your school books?”  I cringed when … Continue reading →

Keeping Order of School Supplies in Your Home

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 →

Sales Tax Holiday

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 →

Home Schooling Is Cheaper Than Public School

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 →

What Annoys You the Most About Back-to-School?

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 →

Green Back to School

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 →

Two Things to Buy Now for Holiday Giving

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 →

Unique Back-to-School Buys

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 →

Back-to-School Supplies: It’s All About the Bag

If you don’t know that back-to-school supplies are on sale right now, then you either don’t have kids or you haven’t been shopping in a while (or you haven’t been reading my blog). Personally, even if I didn’t have kids I would still hightail it to Wal-Mart (Kmart, Target, etc.) to scoop up 10-cent packs of pens, pencils, glue sticks, notepads, and scissors. Some deals are too good to pass up. What’s more, what home couldn’t use a fresh supply of office provisions? Still, despite the rows of hot-colored highlighters, the fancy detailed pencil boxes and the endless amount of … Continue reading →