Local schools start in just 4 weeks. This means that local stores have begun their big Back To School season. For me it means I get to stock up on things like pencils & paper while they’re dirt cheap. Store marketers are smart. They know that they can get people into the stores by selling markers and backpacks dirt cheap. The marketers know that moms will drag their kids through the stores and the kids will latch onto something shiny and expensive that they must have. I’m smarter. I know how to walk into a store and walk out after only buying the super-ultra-cheap items. I used to not be so smart when convenience was more important than money.
Back To School is also the season for clothes buying. Parents everywhere try to shop the sales and buy enough clothes so they won’t have to shop again all winter. Last year I finally figured out that buying cute sweaters for the new school year is a little foolish, the weather in August is such that sweaters are much too warm. If I want my kids to have a new outfit for the first day of school, the outfit will have to be summer clothes. So instead of shopping the Back To School sales I used to wait for the post Back To School sales when the prices were truly clearanced. Of course now I don’t even do that. Now I shop garage sales and thrift stores. There is no school clothes shopping season because I’m always watching for good clothes that my kids will grow into. Funny thing is that I’ve spent lots less money and my kids are going to have more and better quality clothes than they’ve ever had before.
This year I get to watch the Back To School frenzy and just laugh.
Go, you! Shopping garage sales and thrift stores is fun – it’s like a treasure hunt, you never know what you’ll find! Knowing how little you paid for it just makes the good stuff even better.