Thursday, July 9, 2009

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

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Good afternoon!

Yesterday I was looking at the Prescott school calendar and realized with a fright that my son is starting school on August 10th. Yes, I knew it was coming, but I really hadn't wrapped my head around how soon it was coming. After getting over the shock of another HUGE shopping season, I figured that this was a good time to start focusing on saving money on all things back to school.

1 - Take stock in what you have on hand.

This works for school supplies as well as school clothes, and it does require some cooperation on the part of your children. Take a day and go through all your children's clothes. This is all very simple, but really it is something that a lot of people do not do. Check everything. Have the kids try on all of their clothes. See what fits and what does not. Seriously, have them try the clothes on. One year I didn't do that with a couple pairs of jeans, and I found out that one fit fine, but it didn't have a zipper thingamajigger (the pulley thing). I thought a sweatshirt was fine and found out that a seam split. Which reminds me...repair what you can if you can.

When you go through the clothes hand down what you don't need either by donating them to a worthy cause like Salvation Army, Good Will, and any number of other thrift stores who use those proceeds to help others. One of the ones we frequently donate to is Stepping Stones. You might also see if your church or a friend's church has a clothing exchange. Talk with other parents in your neighborhood. These can be a huge way to save money on clothing.

2 - Write what you have and what you need. With this information you can arm yourself with a budget. Be realistic with your children and this list. If you have a certain amount of money in the budget stick to it, but again make a good inventory of what you have and what you need. That way there are no surprises. You can even write down the items and projected costs. For example: T-Shirts - $20 each, Jeans - $25. If you don't know what the costs are, start looking around now so you can best estimate your needs, your children's sizes and your financial limits.

Do the same thing with school supplies. See what you have, and write down what you need. Is your child's back pack still in great condition (I am happy to say that my son's is for a change), do you have paper, pencils (this is one thing we run out of), pens, pencil cases, folders and rulers. Look around and see what you have. That way when you have your school's list, you can mark what you have and save that money.

3 - Now that you know your needs. Do not leave the house without your lists. You never know when you may spot a bargain on one of the items on your list. Don't just limit your shopping to department stores. Thrift stores can be a great place to cash in on some huge bargains. Don't forget yard sales too. Look online as well. A lot of people find great clothing items on eBay, freecycle, and don't forget my newest fave the ReUseIt Network. And of course you don't want to forget looking at your favorite stores online. I have seen remarkable clearance deals online for some of my son's favorite brands. One of the benefits to that is you can often find additional discount codes online as well that will bring your purchase down even further with percentages off or free shipping.

4 - Don't buy everything (clothing wise at least) at once. You may be able to get away with a temporary puff up to your child's wardrobe and save cash on the big sales that follow after school has started. Also your child may head off to school and totally see some new look that they want and you can get it for less because of your patience! Wouldn't that be nice? One of my favorites is RetailMeNot.com. They have printable coupons and coupon codes for use online. Check with your store locally before printing coupons. Some take them and some do not.

5 - Use cash instead of credit. You will spend less when you have a set amount in your wallet rather than using credit. Start putting money aside now if you haven't all ready. What I try to do is save what I can on groceries by living off our pantry during those times where I have to spend money on back to school. Here is a little tool I found that I think you will like, it is The Back-to-School Budget Calculator. I didn't mention it this morning, but I am going to next week. It is a gem! It is from the Practical Money Skills website. There are a lot of great calculators and if you head over, be sure to check out their section on allowances! Here is the link: Allowances

Wow...that site really made my day! I hope you take some time to check it out too.

Okay...that is the deal for now on back-to-school preparation. Now onto a few additional links.

I spoke about the yummy Fiber One sample. Not only do you get a sample of their tasty bars, but you also will get $5.00 in coupons! Here is that link: Fiber One Get in on this fast. It may not last for long.

Also, don't forget that McDonalds is having Free Mocha Mondays where you can get a hot or iced mocha for free from 7 am to 7 pm. This is at participating McDonalds only so be sure to ask about it. More details: McDonalds This giveaway runs until August 3! Oh I do love a mocha.

You also may have heard Dave and I talking about our free candy bars from M&M Mars. Well here is the deal. Every Friday through September you have the opportunity to win a coupon for a free candy bar. This is totally true. You can get one a week up to a total of four! Here is your linkage: M&M Mars

Last linkage: Now that we are really going to be hunting out some Back-to-School bargains, we need to know where they are. Here is a great site with links for all kinds of sales in YOUR area! It is Shoplocal.com! I found it last night, and I am so thrilled with it. Check it out here: Shop Local Mine automatically goes to Phoenix, but you can click change location to see others city sales.

Well that about covers it for today. Have a wonderful week! See you next Thursday!!!!!




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