Back to school...the school clothes

I always start my Back-To-School clothes shopping as soon as school lets out, 1st week of June. For those on a budget, it’s easier to buy one shirt or one pair of pants/shorts per week instead of trying to buy it all at once the last week of July!

If you haven’t started your BTS clothing shopping yet you might want to put that hat on and start watching the sale ads. Luckily our children have a dress code at all 3 of our schools so this makes shopping very easy for mom. What do you want to wear? Khaki pants, khaki pants, or khaki pants? They do allow navy bottoms now, but I just think they fade and look bad well before khaki, and besides that I think Khaki looks better with more colors than Navy would.

To start you should make a list for each child. Take inventory of their closets and dresser. Have them try things on to determine what can be donated/sold and what can be kept for school clothes. Be sure to check their socks and underwear. I find that socks usually need replenished/replaced around back-to-school time and again around Dec/Jan. each year. Where do those socks go anyway? Oh, that's right...they wear holes in them and they get tossed in the rag bin...or the washing machine eats them!

Once you have your lists you can determine how many items you need to buy. If John has 3 pairs of pants and you prefer he has 5 to get through the school week then write 2 pairs of pants on the list. It's as simple as that!

Keep your list in your purse and watch the sale ads and clearance racks. I try to check the clearance every single time I stop at a store. Think of it as a quick garage sale tour. I've found many items on deep clearance prices from last season that were $15-$20 and were marked down to $1-$5 each.

It's also a good time to start thinking about shoes. Many retailers are getting in the new styles for BTS, which means last years models will be on clearance. Watch for additional % off sales and remember...you can almost always return any items you buy that don't work out, so when in doubt buy it!

If you have the clothing under control you might want to start shopping for those school supplies!

Enjoy the rest of your summer. We don't go back to school until August 10th, so I have a month left to pick up the last odds and ends we need to purchase. Whew!