Organized for Student Success – Part 1: Saving on Supplies

Organize. Plan. Save. Simplify.

The stores are telling us that it’s Back to School time. The “Start of a new year”.  In my little world it’s still the middle of summer. Enjoy. Go to the beach. Get back in the pool. Remember the Lazy days of summer? Try to find one before it’s too late!

No, it’s not time to go back to school, but it is time to get yourself organized, so when it truly is Back to School time, you will be able to ease into those hectic weeks with grace, being more relaxed, and with a little bit of extra cash.

Follow these simple steps to prepare for Back to School:

Gather ALL your school supplies…..from all corners of your home. Check the closets, the kitchen cabinets, how about your kids cubbies? Pull out last year’s backpacks, and dig into your child’s study area.  (Speaking of last year’s backpacks, have you set up a School Memory Box for each of your children? If not, check out my “Organize Their School Memories” blog for a simple, low cost,  solution to a common clutter problem.)

Put Like with Like. You truly can’t see what you have, and won’t know what you need until you take the time to put all of your office and school supplies together. Take the time to divide supplies into simple categories, such as:

• Paper……….Lined, Computer,  Colored, Craft, Construction
• Pens, Pencils, Markers, Highlighters, Crayons………….all things that write, draw or color
• Notebooks, Spirals, Composition Notebooks, Folders, Binders, Dividers
• Book Covers, Rulers, Glues
• Calculators, Compass, Protractors
• Backpacks, Flash-drives…………..And the list goes on…………

Assess What You Have. Now you have a realistic picture of the school supplies that are already lurking in your home. And you’re well on your way to knowing what you will need for the coming year. Perhaps you won’t need as much as you thought!

Be Realistic and Start Saving! Now that you know what you have, it truly is the perfect time to begin taking advantage of the Back to School  sales. Office supply and discount stores are offering some ridiculously low prices on supplies that in-coming students will be needing. Take advantage of the sales, but keep in mind…….

• How much storage space that you have. You are not purchasing supplies for an army, just your family. Buy accordingly. Don’t purchase more than you can neatly store, or that will most likely be used in the coming semester (remember, the sales will begin again in December).
• You probably haven’t yet received the official “Class Supply List”, although, unless your child is launching into their first year at school, you most likely have a good ideas of the basic supplies that will be needed.
• Your local office and discount stores will offer excellent deals to get you in their store. They are betting that you will wander in uninformed, purchasing their incredible deal, but then being pulled into the Back to School buying frenzy, and buying more than you could possibly need. Shop with a list of your needs, and determine to stick to it.
• Check out the sale adds so that you know what a great deal is.
• Every week, every discount and office supply store will be having some incredible sales on school supplies. Take advantage of those sales that are convenient for you. Don’t go out of your way, wasting both your time and your gas, to get in on all the sales. Take advantage of the best. Forget the rest.

Happy Summer (and Organized)!