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Dear Susan
Believe it or not, my 3 girls love to shop at our local Goodwill
store for their school clothes! Large named department stores
in our area donate their excess clothing to the Goodwill and my
girls always get clothes with the department store tags still on
them for NOTHING! This way they get twice as much for their
money! They save money shopping at Goodwill and what we can't
find at Goodwill, they have the extra money left to go buy it
elsewhere! We've also found those "gently worn" clothes aren't
so bad either! You just have to really check things over!
As far as school supplies go, I have 1 daughter in High School, 1
in Middle School and 1 in Grade School. Needless to say, their
supplies aren't the same. I shop at Costco, also known as Sam's
Club in some areas, and buy all their supplies in bulk! They
last through the year and everybody gets what they need cheaply!
Julie - Olympia, WA
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This time last year (back-to-school time) Walgreen's had many
school supplies featured in its monthly Rebate Club. I got glue,
washable markers, scissors, and filler paper for FREE! My
children were only 3 and 1 at the time, but I figured it's not
too early to stockpile. I'll bet other national chains like
Eckerd's run the same offers. Remember to save the receipt and
return for rebate by the deadline.
Stephanie
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As a mom of 7 kids, getting ready for school is a major project.
Watch for mailers from stores like Wal-Mart and Target. We
save up for the opening of school because this is when the
supplies are the cheapest! Wal-Mart has a sale every year that
has 96 count boxes of crayola crayons for $5. This is a major
savings. We always buy extra for gift giving and for use during
the year. Please note that some teachers do not let the kids
have big boxes of stuff because they just do not have room. Also
many schools do give supplies. At our school, the kids really
only have to bring a pencil and an eraser. They give folders for
the kids to bring everything in until the 4th grade.
Back packs are necessary. If you can talk your kids into the
more sturdy ones they do tend to last the full year. If your kids
are in high school, the best thing is to wait until you get your
packet from school and to some degree the first day because every
class will have their own set of needs. A good zipper notebook
and basic needs (i.e. paper, separators, etc.) Also a great tip
is that you should have a supply box at home with scissors,
crayons, glue, stapler, colored pencils, markers, etc. that the
kids can only use for homework. This cuts down on opening things
and buying things when they are not necessary.
Connie
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I keep an eye on sales for things like this and bought sturdy
backpacks for my youngest, twins who will be entering
kindergarten in the fall. (sniff, sniff)
Kids R Us was having a 50% off clearance sale last spring. My
boys decided they really liked these Star Wars backpacks. Normal
retain for them was $15.99. They were on normal clearance for
$3.00, and with the special sale I was able to buy them for $1.50
each! Brand new! I never would have known about this sale if I
wasn't on their mailing list. These sort of sales have saved me
a bundle on clothes, shoes and other goodies.
Nancy
RE: Back packs
Before buying a backpack, you may want to check with your local
school district to see if they are allowed. The high schools in
our area no longer allow backpacks (due to security) .
Mary Day
RE: Back packs
I agree with Nancy about buying sturdy backpacks. I bought one
from LL Bean (catalogue) when my son started Kindergarten. LL
Bean even puts the child's initials on it and it has a big silver
reflection patch for safety. This backpack is still going strong
and my son is going into 6th grade this September. Also, my son
drags and throws this thing around. In addition, he attended a
local summer camp, and used the backpack for 6 summers! LL Bean
will even repair it if something should break ( I never had to
use this service) This backpack cost a little bit more than
average, but it sure is worth it. They come in all sizes and
colors. Bean also carries lunch boxes.
Raine
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