If your summer is anything like ours, (late nights, slow mornings, unscheduled days), then the thought of school starting again is probably exciting, but might stress you out a bit. Going from no schedule to a structured day can be tough at the beginning.
Because I find the adjustment tough myself, I have come up with a Back to School Action Plan that I hope you will find useful as well! The plan covers three areas: shopping, meals and organization. By tackling these three things I know our mornings are going to run smoother and we’re going to save quite a bit of money!
Let’s get started with the back to school tips and tricks, shall we?
Back to School Shopping Tips:
Since the first year my oldest started going to school, we have implemented a tradition of going on a date together to get her school items. We both really look forward to spending some quality time together and I think the one on one dates we do is an investment into our future relationship. That being said, we don’t start our date day without a plan.
It can be so easy to walk into a store and buy whatever is on sale or super cute. But lets avoid that this year because quite frankly, it will be overwhelming to know how much money you actually spent on clothing that wasn’t actually needed and now has to be laundered. Ugh.
So, this is what we do here:
Inventory Clothes: This may sound overwhelming, but it literally took us less than 10 minutes. I simply pulled out every single item of clothing (including socks and underwear!) and asked her to say Yes or No to each item. If she said No, that item either got donated or put into the bin for her younger sister one day. With everything that was a Yes, I took a mental inventory of what she needed. I discovered that all she needs is a pair of indoor shoes and a sweater. That’s it! I also purchase one (on sale) outfit for her first day of school and a “special” accessory.
School Supplies: This is the first year that we have to purchase school supplies since previously everything was included in the school fees for kindergarten and grade 1. Cost is more of a concern for me so, my thoughts for this is to shop the dollar store, home and maybe even Staples when they have a good sale going.
If time is more of a concern for you, try doing all your school supply shopping online at Walmart, Staples or even Amazon. Pick it up in store when your order is ready or have it shipped to your door!
Back to School Meal Planning Tips:
Meals can be a big stress inducer for me so that why this year I have a plan for school day breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I even made some printables for you to use!
Breakfast: My kids never know what they want to eat each morning so this year I will decide for them by creating a menu. Every day of the week will be the same thing all year long. For example, Mondays I will serve muffins and fruit. Tuesdays will be pancakes or waffles. Wednesdays will be toast and fruit. And so on.
Lunch: This year, my oldest and I are going to sit down to brainstorm all the items that she would like eating in her school lunch. I’m going to divide it up into categories:
Dinner: If I don’t have a dinner plan, dinner will either be take out or grilled cheese and tomato soup! đ And neither of those are healthy or good for the budget on a regular basis.
Morning Routines: Rushed, hectic mornings with short tempers are not my favourite. Admittedly, they happen way more often then I would like. Both of my kids (ages 3 and 7) still need help with their morning routines but my oldest is definitely more capable at being self directed. However, to help her along, I’ve made up a list of steps I need her to follow.
Get Up
Get Dressed
Eat Breakfast
Pack lunch (I like to do this while she is eating, but she can put it in her backpack)
Brush teeth & hair
Backpack & Shoes on
Out the door
Set out outfits for the week: One thing I found super helpful last year was putting aside 7 outfits for each day of the week. This made getting dressed every morning so easy. My oldest tends to shut down when she has to decide so this has helped her tons.
Labels: With all the money that is spent on school items, it’s not a good feeling when something goes missing! Make it easier to find important and favourite items with labels. We love the labels from Mabel’s Labels so that where I ordered ours from.
I’d love to know your back to school tips and tricks. Leave them below in the comments!
If you have a bit of extra spending money and are wanting to organize your pantry area, this deal might be worth taking a look at! Get the 20 piece Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Organization set from Amazon.ca for $58.51. (reg. $74.58). Here are some details:
Rubbermaid Modular Food Storage Containers can hold pasta, baking ingredients, or other pantry staples; save space and keep pantry organized
Great for pet food; easy to clean and scoop food from, and tight lids keep out moisture and humidity
Lids snap tight to help keep food fresh
Containers stack for compact storage
Thick, durable container walls for everyday use
Freezer-safe, top-rack dishwasher-safe, and BPA-free
Set of 10 food storage containers includes one 19.9-cup, one 16-cup, one 12-cup, one 8.1-cup, one 7.8-cup, one 6.6-cup, one 3.2-cup, one 1.3-cup, and two 0.5 cup mini containers, plus lids, for a total of 20 pieces
The KidsBowlFree.com program is back this year! This fun program allows your children to enjoy two free games of bowling at participating bowling centres every day, all summer long! Looks like some bowling alleys start offering free bowling as early as May!
Up to six children can be registered per account/email address.
Register directly on your local bowling center page (The registration is valid only at the bowling center where you register and cannot be used at any other bowling center unless otherwise noted.)
Once you register, you will have the opportunity to purchase the family pass from $34.95. You are not required to purchase this pass.
When the program at your local bowling centre begins, you will be sent an email or a text every Sunday morning with a link to your coupons and family passes for that week.
The price is currently $0 but please be aware that this can change at any time. Also note that these free downloads are especially for Kindles but you can download a free appwhich allows you to read these Kindle ebooks on your computer, tablet or smartphone!
Double check that they are still $0 before purchasing!
This is such a great deal for highly rated blackout curtains! Get Nicetown Blackout Curtains (2 Panels, W42 x L84 -Inch) for a great price from Amazon.ca! There are other sizes and colours on sale too. Here are some details:
Ready made: set of 2 NICETOWN Blackout Curtain Panels per package. Each panel measures 42 inches wide by 84 inches long, the total width is 84 inches for one pair. Each panel has 6 silver grommets top for easy hang and slide.
Blackout function: curtains can block most light and UV rays (curtain in darker colours has better blackout effects). Easily match with your living room/bedroom, perfect for night shift workers and snooze lovers.
Wise budget: thanks to the innovative triple weave technology, the panels serve well in thermal insulation, temperature balance, energy-efficient, noise reduction, etc. An economical choice to update your window.
About fabric: made from upmarket material, through the eco-friendly production process, the fabric is soft to touch and safe to people, even babies. Thread trimmed and wrinkle-free, same fabric and colour on both sides.
Easy care: NICETOWN blackout curtain panels are durable and easy to care for. Machine washable in cold water(<86â), tumble dry. Quick ironing or steam clean when needed. Contact NICETOWN for any product problem.
