Back to School Savings
It’s that time of the year again, back to school. This can be a very expensive time of the year. If you need to purchase school supplies this is the time to do so, lots of sales. Spend a little time reviewing sales fliers on line or in the newspaper. Be careful as we often purchase items our students really don’t need. A few tips..
1. Backpacks: Be sure to purchase backpacks the are size appropriate for your students. A backpack should not be larger than your child’s back. In other words, it should not extend below their waist. I realize larger backs are often preferred but in the case of school packs, smaller is better. The reason? The larger the pack the more they can stuff in without having to clean it out. What happens is the pack becomes much too heavy and can cause damage to their back. Rolling backpacks are great but not really feasible in many situations. Should you decide on a rolling pack be sure to load it while you are still in the store and have your child wear it for a few minutes while they walk around. Many packs have sharp plastic parts that will dig into their backs so beware.
In the case of a college student the opposite advise may apply. Again there is always a chance of injury with a pack that is too heavy but college students often have to dress for two different weather conditions on the same day. I remember going to class at 7:30am bundled up with scarves, gloves, a hat and layers and by the time I left campus at the end of the day I no longer needed all those layers. Hopefully a college student will be wise enough not to overload a pack but will have room to stash a lunch and things they may accumulate during the day.
2. School supplies. I recommend you hit the sales and purchase, pens, pencils, lined paper, and highlighters but stop there. I remember thinking I was being so frugal buying notebooks and binders only to discover the high school teachers demanded a specific type, notebooks with tabs, 2 inch binders, it was crazy. Many elementary school now ask parents to help with classroom supplies. Now is the time to purchase those. Get together with some of the other parents in your child’s class and share your plans so everyone isn’t purchasing the same items.
3. Now is the time to purchase backpacks for your 72 hour kits if you don’t already have them. A good pack for a 72 hour kit should have several outside pockets to store items such as glow stick, keys and a whistle which you may need to access in a hurry. Check the packs at Totally Ready to get a good idea of the size and specifications for packs. Be sure to check out the children’s kits also.
4. Think lunch. I know most children want to purchase their lunches. Especially in this economy, this is a really bad idea. Ask your children what they would like in their lunches and make some plans now. This is the time to watch for sales and stock up on items your children like. Always include desserts and snacks in your food storage plan. Brownie mix was on sale this week for 99 cents. Most kids love brownies, they are easy and fast to bake, and they are more fun and less expensive than cookies. A real win-win. The same is true of peanut butter and many other popular lunch supplies. This is the time to teach your college students to be creative and economical as they prepare to pack their own lunches. I had a great thing going in college. I cooked for a group of guys. They paid for all the food and I did the cooking. All my meals were free and I planned so some of the leftovers were portable to use as lunches the next day. A great gift for a starving student would be food storage. I love to give cookie mixes in a jar. These are easy to convert to warm, yummy treats and they store well. So.. I’ll share my favorites:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 C flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 C chocolate chips
You will need a wide mouth, quart canning jar. Combine baking soda and flour. Pour flour mixture into canning jar. Carefully add brown sugar and press down to compact. Remember you want to have layers when you are finished. I usually make to brown sugar thicker next to the jar and thinner in the middle. This gives a better layer. Add white sugar and finally add chocolate chips. Add lid and directions and you’re done.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (direction to attach to canning jar)
cream together 1 C butter,
1 egg and 2 tsp. Vanilla
add cookie mix and blend well
bake on ungreased cookie sheet
350 degrees 8-10 minutes
This is a great summer project with the kids. Make a case or two of cookie mix and now you are ready for quick snacks, lunch desserts worthy of trading (but they won’t) and you’ll have desserts for your three month supply of food storage. Of course you will need to make a batch of cookies when the jar filling is complete.
