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Back to School Money Saving Tips

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September 4, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series, Free, Pinterest Leave a Comment

published date: September 04, 2013
modified datt: August 29,2013

BackToSchool

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 Back to School Money Saving Tips
Lessons from a Former Teacher and Current Mother

There was a time when a back to school list consisted of a box of crayons, a pencil and some paper. It seems the “needs” of your child’s school supply lists can at times feel ridiculous. The bottom line, knowing how and when to shop for Back to School Supplies, might not make you dread the never ending list of supplies.

Take inventory before you go shopping

Nothing stinks worse than paying full price for something that you have tons of up in the closet. Go through the list carefully and find out what you can use from the previous year. Also take a look on what you have in supplies. I keep a bin in my gift closet labeled arts and crafts and school supplies. This saves on future lists. You might be surprised what you have on hand.

Take advantage of mark downs

Don’t shop right away! Wait. When the school year gets rolling, retailers are ready for Halloween and Christmas – they have to clear the shelves and will begin to see back to school merchandise go on “mega-clearance.” Grab what you can at reduced prices and put them away at home for the coming years or to replenish your supplies halfway into the year. Focus on the staples and not the peripherals. Book bags may not be in style the next year, but pencils, pens, paper and notebooks will always be needed. When items go this low, this is when I stock up for next year. Next August, you might find you need nothing on your list because you have it all already.

Save larger purchases for tax-free sales

If you intend on buying higher ticket items like a laptop or a scientific calculator, make sure you save those purchases for tax free day if possible. That alone can save you hundreds depending on what you buy. Also consider looking for big purchase items on Craigslist or Consignment Area Facebook Groups. *Use wisdom when buying from these places online. Never meet someone at your home or alone.

Stick to a list

Take the grade list that is provided by your school and stick to it like glue. What kills parents during back to school shopping are the funky extras that kids are excellent at begging for. If your child comes to you begging for that troll pencil topper with neon green hair, just say nay! They will get over it, I assure you. Stick to the budget and list and you will save money.

Invest in quality

When it comes to certain items, it pays off to buy quality. Book bags that are simply a base color are great examples. If you buy a high quality one, you might get extra years out of it. The same goes for calculators and other electronics. Pencils and paper can be any quality and it won’t really matter. They will be lucky to still have those at the end of the first day. I also tell my shoppers, it is better to buy one quality pair of shoes than three cheap pairs.

Saving money on back to school is simply about paying attention and taking advantage of the opportunities that are out there. Use wisdom, buy then then price is right, and stock up!

Find more on Frugal Coupon Living in the Back to School Series.


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Back to School | Transitioning Your Child From Elementary to Middle School

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August 15, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series, Free, Pinterest Leave a Comment

published date: August 08, 2013
modified datt: August 15,2013

BackToSchool

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 Transitioning Your Child From Elementary to Middle School
Lessons from a Former Teacher

Sometimes milestones affect parents more than they do children. I am sure the first day of my child beginning Kindergarten will leave me in a boo-hoo breakfast with friends. Regardless of who gets affected more, it is our role as parents to guide our children through these steps and transitional events.

Let me first begin by stating I am a former 5th grade teacher. I loved this age and I loved this grade. Preparing my students for a new school and a new set of responsibilities was my duty as a teacher. Here are TWO things I told them in the classroom almost every day.

To prepare for middle school….

  1. You must remain organized – you will be shuffled around from class to class and each teacher will expect work in on time and done correctly.
  2. You must remind kind – you never know when you will need a friend, be sure to treat everyone with respect – even if you don’t prefer them.

Below is a Guest Post from a Father Watching his two girls transition to Middle School.

The day my kids crossed the stage and left elementary school in the past, I felt their growth for the first time. Oh sure, I had seen them growing for years, but I had not felt it. Now, I was forced to accept that they were about to head to junior high and all the things that came with it. I could not help but start to think of what I was doing during those years and it made me shudder. Not that I was a rebel or anything, but I started growing up rather quickly.

Now my kids are about to do the same thing.

The transition was easy for me and I suppose it will be for them as well. Still, there are some things I can do to ease the process. Below are important tips to help out with this important life stage:

Address the Elephants in the Room

No, I do not think you should take them to the zoo (though many of you would argue Middle School is a Zoo.) Truth is, nobody wants to talk about boys, girls and drugs but they are too important to gloss over. These are the years where those things get introduced most often. Do you want them to learn about it from kids at school or from you?  It is better to address some subjects before lies are presented as facts from young teens who really don’t know the truth themselves. 

Those are the stakes and you need to discuss it too early rather than too late.

Agree to have open communication

Kids are much more likely to talk with you if you allow them open lines of communication. What does that mean? It means that you listen and allow the to speak. It means you sometimes simply understand… Or when they scream “you just don’t understand” you allow them to explain more. Walls buid when a child grows frustrated over a parent who “knows it all!”  It means that you don’t use your conversations as opportunities to interrogate but communicate. Let your child talk and use your parent “super hero powers” to sometimes lead the conversation to allowing them to self-discover.

Once you have that type of communication with your kids, then the rest comes a bit easier.

Note: Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. Take each time of “don’t” as a time for learning for the next time a transitional conversation occurs.

Talk about their fears

Kids that are headed off to a different level of school are going to have some fears. Some of those fears might be things you are not prepared for too. Sit down and let them talk it out. Sometimes just talking about it helps a great deal. If they are the types of fears you can put to rest, then by all means do so. If they are fears that have to be faced, talk about ways to make that happen. No good accomplishment occurs without a plan.

Review what will be different

Talk to your kids about what they will notice different in middle school. Things like the schedule are a big deal. Changing classes instead of staying in one or two all day is a big deal. With different classrooms, means different teachers and thus organization. Having a calendar or planner will help your child stay organized with due dates.

Talk about peer pressure and the things that come with it. This throws you back into the Open Communication paragraph. Better for you to share the facts than for a peer.

 It helps to know what is coming and kids gain confidence when they are not surprised.

In summary, Middle school is the beginning of a whole new era for us parents and our kids at pre-adults. Trust is key and we have to open those lines of discussion. Start now while you have their undivided attention. Fear and Worry will make them want to speak to you more, that might not be the case later. Be sure to speak with your child about the importance of staying organized and treating all individuals with respect! Most importantly, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE!  Every new day is a new opportunity.

Find more on Frugal Coupon Living in the Back to School Series.


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Back to School | The Importance of Family Dinner Time

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July 29, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series Leave a Comment

published date: July 29, 2013
modified datt: July 28,2013

Soccer practice, dance nights, piano rehearsal, finishing homework and more… Schedules during the school year can get busy and the afternoons usually offer no release! Mom is taking the family here, dad is carting the family there. Did you realize, making time for dinner together is VERY important. In fact, include it as the first thing or most important activity each evening!

It’s true most of us can’t get to the table every night as a family unit. While most of the family might be home, your oldest son might have band practice. Another night, you were able to leave the office a bit early and make a great meal and your middle child needs to work on her science project with a classmate. Whatever the excuse, designating two to three nights (if not more) is very important for the family unit.

Dinner Time Facts:

  • Eating on the go often includes greasy food full of calories and fat.
  • Eating at the table allows you to control portions
  • Eating together allows parents to stay involved and sets aside times for family meetings and discussions
  • Eating at home saves money
  • Eating together boots grades and self esteem. It reduces harmful habits picked up by your child such as over eating or drugs.
  • You are more likely to hear a serious problem from your child having dinner time set aside.

To make the most of your evening time fun, offer a fun evening game. Put questions in a jar and each evening pull out 3.

Dinner Time Questions Can Include:

  1. What is your favorite vacation and why?
  2. If you were granted three wishes from a genie what would you wish?
  3. Tell me something you love about each person at the table?
  4. What are three things you thankful for?
  5. Tell me 3 “highs” today and 1 “low” – make it a daily high/low game.

How Does She includes as FREE PDF of Dinner Time Questions. Cut them up, place them in a jar and make time for a lively meal with your kids. This might offer more insight to your child’s day, feelings and thoughts over the normal question of “how was your day!?!”

Now your only thing to worry about it – Whats for Dinner?

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Back to School | FREE Morning Routine Checklist Printable

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

August 2, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series, Free, Online Shopping, Pinterest Leave a Comment

published date: August 02, 2013
modified datt: July 23,2013

I spoke with you earlier in the Back to School Series about Routine, Schedules, The First Day of School and More. This FREEBIE will be great for your little one as you begin the back to school routine.

I Heart Organizing has a FREE printable Back to School Morning Routine Chart. This is great for younger kids, but honestly it can be used for older kids too – especially forgetful ones. I had a student, when I taught fifth grade, and his mother and I joked he would have to have a check list by his bed as an adult. The top of his list would state “roll over and kiss wife” because he was so forgetful! He was one of my brightest students too!

I recommend spending the extra time to laminate this item. You can use a dry erase marker to use as a checklist each day. You can spend about $5 to $10 for laminating at your local store, also consider this resource below. Grab the Scotch Thermal Laminator  for $24.97 from $80.49. I have this laminator and use it all the time – we love it!

Don’t forget OTHER Back to School Printables on Frugal Coupon Living.

  • Printable Lunch Notes
  • First Day of School Printables

Find Back to School Deals and Back to School Tips on Frugal Coupon Living.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Back to School | FREE Lunchbox Note Printables #FREE

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July 31, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series, Free, Pinterest Leave a Comment

published date: July 31, 2013
modified datt: July 23,2013

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Summer time usually means extra time with family. Whether it is a summer vacation or spending the days on family outings or perhaps just at home, memories are made, time together is spent and going back to school and present a harsh reality.

Heading back to school can be a bit scary and overwhelming, why not cheer your child up with a joke in their note or a sweet saying letting them know how special they are to you! It’s a great way to make them smile those last few hours of the lunch day. I bet they will be excited to see what note you placed in their lunchbox each day

Check out the awesome and FREE printables below!

  • FREE Simply Sprout Lunch Notes
  • FREE Paper Coterie Lunch Notes
  • FREE Lunch Box Jokes

Also check out the Project Lunchbox Series where we have themes for your child’s lunch from Sharks to the ABCs and more!

Consider heading to Amazon to grab this Scotch Thermal Laminator  for just $24.97 from $80.49. This would be a great thing to do to reuse your notes and prevent your child’s message from getting wet before they see their note!

Back to School Deals

  • Frugal Coupon Living Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living CVS Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Walgreens Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s  Staples Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Office Depot Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Office Max Back to School Deals 
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Kmart Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Target Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Big Lots Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Toys R Us Back to School Deals
  • Frugal Coupon Living’s Walmart Back to School Deals

Be sure to also check out the Amazon Back to School Page.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

Back to School | Preparing Your Child for the First Day of School

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

July 30, 2013 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Back To School, Back to School Series, Free, Pinterest Leave a Comment

published date: July 30, 2013
modified datt: July 23,2013

BackToSchool

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The first day of school can be tough on kids for many reasons. Children go from the comfort of home to sometimes the cold concrete walls of a school. Fears can include making new friends, their teacher’s personality and expectations and and being away from home (for possibly the first time!) The unknown is scary for pretty much anybody, right? While, as parents, we understand that school won’t be as bad as they fear, they certainly don’t understand this. As guardians and role models to our little ones, it is to show them what they are unsure about and prepare them ahead of time.

Below are some tips for helping your child prepare for the first day of school with the least amount of stress possible:

Visit the School Ahead of Time

Visiting your child’s school brings a sense of familiarity followed by comfort. If your child has already been to the building a couple of times, the fear is going to diminish a bit. They begin to know where things are located. Show them where they will be spending their day, where they will eat and of course how awesome the playground is! Just letting them get to know the surroundings will help a great deal when they have to go for an entire school day. When you visit, go through your routine. Show them drop off, classroom settings, lunchroom, and pick up location. Many schools offer an open house the week before school begins. This is a great opportunity to let them meet their teacher, see their desk and classroom atmosphere.

Trace the Path to The School

Taking your child out for a fun ride to school when school is not in is always a good time. This is particularly helpful if your child will be riding the bus. That alone is a scary thing for a kid, so knowing the route will be some comfort. Talk about the things that can happen on the way to school and how they can handle problems that might come up. I personally have a sitter picking them up some days. I will have her ride with us on a school practice run and follow up that experience with ice cream!

Have a Couple of “Dry Runs” 

Where your kids are concerned, routine is your best friend during the school year. While kids might roll their eye at the daily process and tasks, it also is a great comfort to them. Practice waking up, eat breakfast, get dressed, getting in the car (or the bus) and completing homework all on a set schedule. Map out their day on a calendar if necessary. Having a schedule creates positive habits that will help them grow in life and school. As you get closer to that first day, you should have a few days where you go through all the motions. This will give them some familiarity leading up to the big day. The last thing you want to give a child on the first day of school is a surprise. Let them know what to expect as much as possible.

Be Sure They are Coming Home to Fun

Having a fun activity or two to look forward to can help them get through the first day. Something exciting could be repeating this first day of school treat every year. For example, make a pan of chocolate chip cookies right before they come home. If you are a working parent, grab ice cream before dinner on the ride home. Perhaps a trip to the park or the store to pick up additional school supplies While you are there, talk about their day and find out what they liked and disliked. I always ask my kids to share three positives and one negative. When they offer the negative, a child being mean or perhaps a fear of a subject, relate to what they are saying. By making that fear personal to yourself and sharing how you helped resolve it as a kid, let’s them know anxiety is temporary and can be solved and happens to everyone. Get those lines of communication going and don’t stop until they graduate.

Celebrate the Joy of Their Accomplishments

As a former teacher, I was always lead to give four praises before one negative. Sometimes I had to pull these praises out of a hat as I struggled to think of something good to say about a particular situation. The first day of school is a huge deal and should be celebrated in a big way! Children will attribute importance to what you consider important, so making a big deal out of it will only encourage them to view school in a big way. They should see it as vital and important, right? Make sure to shower you child in praises and support before reminding them of what they need to work on to make the school year easier.

Celebrate that first day and explain to them how it is the start of something huge!

back-to-school-printables

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Looking for something fun? Pick up these Back to School Printables by Magic by Marcy for the First Day of School! Make sure to take a photo of your child in the same spot (perhaps same outfit) on the last day of school too. It is always fun to see how our kids have grown over the school year!

Also check out this FREE Morning Routine Printable!


WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Themed Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter & more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next party.

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I am a wife, mother, daughter, blogger, teacher, friend – a woman of many different hats. My delights are my husband, my five kids, reading, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. I am a Florida girl transferred to the heart of the DC-Metro area. I'm glad you're here! Learn more about Ashley.

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