Last-minute back-to-school shopping tips

FOR MANY families, school begins in the next few weeks. If summer went by a little too quickly and you still haven’t had a chance to go back-to-school shopping, don’t panic. Just because you’re limited on time does not mean you can’t take advantage of deals and save money on new supplies or clothes for your kids.

Follow these tips for a quick and painless school shopping experience:

MAKE A LIST BEFORE YOU HIT THE STORES

Take into account everything your child will need for the first week of school. This means mentally preparing him/her for the stages, from breakfast until they get back home. Your list should reflect things like uniforms, underwear, books, backpacks, lunch kits, sports kits, stationery and food items. If you have more than one child, consolidate all their back-to-school lists. Running around with more than one list can make you frustrated.

TAKE AN INVENTORY

While making your list, take an inventory of leftover school supplies from the year before. Inspect your kids’ backpacks and see if they are in good enough condition to use again. Do the same thing with their supplies. You may find that you don’t need to purchase extra supplies of pens, pencils, glue sticks, notebooks and filler paper.

PURCHASE WHAT YOU CAN ONLINE

The Internet makes shopping pretty stress-free for moms. Instead of standing in lines and fighting over the last bit of school supplies, you can get what your kids need with just a few simple clicks.

LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT HOME IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

Now, there is a side note to this. If your children are little and get tired while shopping, try not to bring them with you. If they’re older and can help you grab things off the list and speed up the process, then bring them along. The goal here is to stay calm and stress-free, so you can decide if it’s more helpful for you to bring the kiddies or to leave them at home. example with your own lunches. Encourage children to be involved in preparing their own lunch. Children are more likely to eat a lunch that they have been involved in creating. When preparing their lunches, mix it up; offer a variety of foods to prevent boredom and make lunch a meal that your child looks forward to.

You can always speed up the preparation process by organising and placing things in one location; lunch supplies such as insulated containers, lunch bags or boxes, reusable drink containers, and napkins.

While at school, children may prefer to play with friends instead of eating. Encourage your child to sit and eat before heading out to play at all times.

Put safety first. Keep foods fresh and safe to eat. Use insulated containers to keep hot foods, such as soups or casseroles hot, and to keep cold foods cold. Chill items such as pudding, coleslaw or potato salad before placing them in the container. Use a small freezer pack or a frozen container of milk or juice to keep sandwiches that are filled with meat, egg, cheese, fish, mayonnaise or poultry cold.