Hey, Y'all!
It is so hard to believe that it is almost September when it seems like I just stopped wishing y'all "Happy New Year!" I am at that age when you stop wishing away "time": "I can't wait til..." or "I sure will be glad when..." But, let me say this just one time, "I will be so glad when school starts and all these kids are off to school till next June!" There...I said it, I'm done!
I have been catching back-to-school sales when I can. I have been shopping since early July. This week, I went to Arundel Mills Outlet Mall with my grandkids. I took one on Monday and three yesterday afternoon. I was only shopping for shoes and nothing else. Well, it took nearly two hours to get done with that trip. We were all ready to leave. My nine-year-old granddaughter said it best when she said, "Just grab a pair of shoes, throw them in a box, and let's get out of here!"
The afternoon was not entirely a loss. Yesterday, I bought each of the three kids 2 pairs of Converse for $79.90! Yes, that's six pairs for less than $80!!! And, since this is tax-free week here in Maryland, I paid no sales tax on the shoes. Grandchild number four's shoes purchased Monday brought the total to about $110. I even bought myself a pair for $10. I love Converse.
I did not bring the older kids because they are all into some other name brand that will cost nearly twice what I paid for 8 pairs. I will let their Dad take care of the older four. The oldest two of the ten had summer jobs and can buy their own stuff.
Just have to get a few more things to complete their school supplies and then on to clothes. New underwear, socks, and tee shirts. Jeans will come from my favorite thrift stores. Thankfully, the older kids wear uniforms. We have three of the eight (at home) in uniforms. The younger kids do not seem to be as fashion forward as their older siblings. I am sure that will change in the coming years.
Staples and Office Depot have some awesome Back-to-School deals. Check the ads for this week and the ones that will appear in Sunday's paper. Also, don't forget to go to Staples.com/coupons for some deals that beat the ads.
Back-to-School Deal Tips:
Always buy for the entire year when everything is on sale and you can get it for free or almost free.
Buy your school supplies in bulk via Walmart.com, Amazon.com, EBay.com , and your big box stores, too.
Check out OfficeDepot.com/coupons & Staples.com/coupons for some unadvertised deals and coupons for bigger savings.
Meal Planner - If you have more than one other person in your household, you should really consider planning your meals in advance. My life is so much easier when I have planned out my menus for as little as a week. I tried doing it for a month in advance. It worked somewhat but too many things kept popping up that messed up my menu plans: concerts, back-to-school night, games, late appointments, etc. When I knew about them in advance, I could plan my menu around them. But, the best-laid plans...
I have attached a template of a menu planner. It is in Word so that you can change it to suit your needs. I also included my family's meal planner to this email. My family's menu planner is several pages because I have completed templates thru 2017. Last year, my menu planner was a black and white composition notebook. I hope this new method will keep me better organized because I am on my computer more often than looking through that notebook and planning meals.
Here's a website I shared a few weeks ago with you all. Click this link <Lozo.com>to access 1,600+ printable coupons. I have been printing coupons from this website for several months and have not had a problem using them when I shop. If you register and tell them what coupons you want, you will get an email when those coupons become available. Here's the blurb from their website:
1,692 Free Printable Grocery Coupons: Search 400+ Sites at Once
LOZO searches 100's of websites & apps to find grocery coupons for your favorite brands. You save, LOZO does the work!.
Select coupons below: we'll give you links to the sites that offer them, PLUS we'll email you when we find more ... learn more
Here are some direct links to the printable coupons:
Finally, I like this calculator. LOZO's Grocery Unit Price Comparison Calculator It will tell you which size is the better bargain when you use a coupon. Bookmark the link on your smartphone and refer to it while shopping
Happy Couponing!
Only 17 days till school starts! YAAAAY!
ShaRon :o)
John 21:18
John 21:18
