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Try some of these tips to simplify the back-to-school shopping frenzy. |
Leave the Kids at Home
OK, you can’t leave them all behind, but you can take them one at a time. Shopping one-on-one gives each child some special
time with Mom or Dad and eliminates sibling bickering, so the whole process goes more smoothly.
Skip the Big Box
Pushing a cart across acres of linoleum in search of a particular brand of dry-erase markers is enough to make any mom lose her last functioning brain cell. Opt, instead, for specialty shops. Go to the Kiddie Shoppe for clothes and an office supply shop for classroom needs. Specialty stores offer everything on your list within a few hundred square feet, and a friendly sales staff will help you find it all.
Avoid Peak Hours
Weekday mornings are best if you have small children. The stores will be less crowded and your children will be fresher and less cranky. If your schedule necessitates a weekend shopping trip, feed the kids an early dinner and then hit the shops. Weekend crowds usually thin around dinnertime.
Scrap the Circulars
Each summer merchants tout their 5-cent notebooks and penny pencils in the Sunday paper, seizing Valley moms with an overwhelming
urge to plan a full-scale expedition across two states and several counties in a hunt for the best back-to-school deals. But to reap significant savings, you would likely spend several days dragging the kids from store to store, wasting gas, time and energy. Better to choose one or two stores that have everything you need at reasonable prices and give up the bargain hunt.
Double Team
Team up with another mom from your child’s class and split the list. I’ll buy tissues, you buy wipes, you buy pencils, I’ll buy paper. Or just do the shopping together. Everything is more fun with a friend, plus you will have a witness when your child swears he will do his homework, eat his vegetables, clean his room and never whine again if you will just buy him that Transformers Cyber Camo backpack.
Shop in Your PJs
Nursing a baby? Chasing a toddler? No time to get dressed, much less to shop? Many stores have online shopping options. You may have to venture to a brick-and-mortar store for some items, but with a few clicks of the mouse on a website like RollingRedSchoolSupplies.com, most or all of your child’s school supplies will magically appear on your doorstep. Many sites even offer free shipping.
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