school

Now is a Great Time to Have a Garage Sale if You Have Certain Items

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It may feel like it’s near the end of the Garage Sale season but now just might be a great time to have a sale.  With all the back to school shopping going on many parents are looking to stretch the budget and will buy some items at a garage sale (see below).

If you live near a university or college those students will be looking for used furniture and other household items to fill their dorm rooms or apartments.

It takes time to put together a big garage sale but if you have a fair amount of the items listed below you might want to consider having a quick garage sale in the next couple of weeks. That way you could take advantage of the back to school rush and clear out some of the clutter from your home. Plus you’ll be able to make a little extra money to help with your own back to school budget, if you have one.

Most schools do not reimburse school teachers for all the supplies, books, and other educational materials they have in their individual classrooms.  I know that at some of my past garage sales I have had teachers, especially new ones, looking for items (books, educational games, etc.) to build up their classroom resources for their students.

So check out the list of items below and if you have a fair amount of them you no longer use, consider planning a garage sale as soon as possible.

Children’s Items

  • children clothes – all sizes, but especially grade school
  • school supplies – new or slightly used
    1. backpacks
    2. lunch boxes/bags
    3. crayons, markers, pencils, pens
    4. 3-ring binders, pocket folders, notebook paper, erasers
    5. children’s books – good for building child’s home library and teachers like to purchase for their classrooms.
    6. calculators, rulers, staplers, etc.
  • educational learning toys and games

Household Items

  • small scale furniture – for small apartments or dorm rooms
  • kitchen supplies – for apartments and dorm rooms
    1. microwaves – usually small ones
    2. toaster ovens and hot plates (some dorms don’t allow these)
    3. dishes, silverware, pots, pans, mixing bowls, etc.
  • linens such as towels, sheets, comforters, etc.

Advertise the Sale

There are a lot of online sites to advertise your sale for free. Google your city and garage sales to help you find some local sites. You can also put an ad in your local paper.  You might be able to post a note about the sale in your local grocery store if they have a bulletin board for sale items.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Back to School Tax Free Weekends

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There are many states and cities that offer tax free weekends to help parents with back to school items.  If you live in one of the states listed in the link below you just might want to schedule your shopping trip for that weekend.  It could save you some money depending on the state and what is purchased.

Please be aware that the savings may be minimal and you might do better looking for the good sales instead. Many stores are pushing the back to school supplies now so don’t wait until the last minute to shop.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/03/pf/taxes/sales-tax-holiday/index.htm

 

I have written a lot of articles/posts about back to school to help you get organized. In this month’s newsletter (August) I wrote some tips to help make back to school shopping a more positive experience for everyone. If you are not already signed up to receive the free monthly newsletters you can do so here.  If you sign up in the next week or so I’ll be sure to send you a copy of the August newsletter.

All the blog posts regarding school tips (or any other tip category) can easily be found by going to the right sidebar on this blog.  Scroll down until you find the “Category” section. Click on the box to find all the categories and towards the bottom will be “school”.  When you click on that it will bring up all the blog posts that have school tips in them. That will make it easy to find the tips that can help you the most.

If you have any questions please ask me in the comment section.  If you have any Back to School tips you would like to share please put those in the comment section also.  Thank you.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Back to School Tips

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Everywhere you look there are “Back to School” products being advertised. It just seems like yesterday that the kids were running down the street to catch the bus.

The first day and even the first few weeks of school can be total chaos if you don’t plan ahead.  Below are a few tips to help you get organize now plus take advantage of those “Back to School” sales.

 

Clothes Shoppingschool boy in jeans

Although my boys are grown now, I remember those crazy days with getting ready for the first day of school. It always seemed like they grew an inch or two over the summer. That made shopping for school clothes a challenge especially in the early years. Because I knew it would stay warm enough for them to wear shorts until at least mid-September I didn’t go out a buy too many winter clothes (pants or long sleeve tops) yet. Some years they grew out of their jeans every few months! I wrote about it in this blog post.

 

School Supplies

Notebooks, Eraser and Pencil
Notebooks, Eraser and Pencil

Now is the time to take advantage of the sales on school supplies. Just remember to only stock up on basic supplies you know the kids will need. It’s also a good idea to keep these basics in neutral colors so they won’t become an outdated design before the school year is over. Go ahead a buy a few things with this year’s popular character on it.  Just limit the amount and if money is tight stick with pocket folders and other lower cost items. The more expensive items like 3-ring notebooks and backpacks, if bought in basic colors, can usually be reused for a couple of years.

 

School Papers

If you didn’t go through all the old papers from last year yet take time now to do it. It will be a good feeling to have those decluttered and organized before all the new school papers start entering your home at high speed.  It will help your children start off the new year more organized without last year’s clutter laying around.  The article “Decluttering Children’s School Papers” gives you step by step instructions to help you.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Are You Overwhelmed With School Papers Yet?

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School has been in session for most children for close to a month now. Are you overwhelmed with all the papers coming home?

There are the notices of events going on, the permission slips, homework, worksheets, and of course all the art work the younger children do.  With so many papers coming in so fast it is easy to put them in a pile to go through later.  But will you and/or your child go through them before the homework is due or the permission slip is too late?

If you didn’t set up a system to handle all these papers before school started then now is the time to do it!  Below are some tips on a system I set up when my children where in school. Since everyone is different there is not one perfect system. You have to find what works best for you and your children. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error.  I’ve also listed some websites below for you to check out their tips. The sooner you find one that works the smoother the school year will go for the whole family.

  1. Notices, permission slips, etc.:  A different color pocket folder for each child works best.  Each day when your child brings home the papers be sure to mark the date on your calendar before you file the paper into the folder. You could also use a 3 ring binder with pocket folders in it.
  2. Current homework:  Each child should have their own notebook or folders they keep in their backpack.  Usually the teachers will recommend what they want for their class. Check it daily.  Your child will need to clean out this folder periodically or else the current homework could end up lost in the old homework.
  3. Old homework:  This is were it’s harder to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.  Depending on the grade level there can be a lot of papers that your child never needs to look at again.  If there is a chance they will need it to study for a test help them set up a folder for each subject.  Most of the time in the younger grades you can get rid of the the practice papers.  At the end of the school year very little if any needs to be kept.
  4. Art work/stories:  Many of these will be keepers, at least for a short time.  You can hang up the art work, give it to the grandparents, or store it.  Plastic boxes that go under the bed work great for these since many pieces of  art work are larger than the standard piece of paper.  You can also put those short stories they write in this box.

If you haven’t decluttered last years papers now is a good time to do it. This article will show you how.

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com/decluttering-childrens-school-papers/

Don’t forget to check out some of the links below for more ideas on how to organize children’s school papers.

Website links for controlling school papers.

http://www.onlineorganizing.com/NewslettersArticle.asp?newsletter=go&article=284

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/organizing/kids-artwork.shtml

http://www.familyhistorykids.com/organize_and_preserve_childrens_art_and_school_work.htm

http://www.marilynbohn.com/articles/back-to-school-and-the-agony-of-paperwork.html

Janice

 

 

 

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School Buses Are On The Move!

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The school year has already started for some.  For many others it”s just around the corner.  Whether you have school age children or not the start of the school year brings changes in almost everyone’s routines.  If you are aware of these changes you can plan ahead to avoid any frustration they may cause you.

Hundreds of thousands of school children will be walking their neighborhood streets to catch the yellow school bus at the corners.  Please be aware of them as you leave your home to drive to work or drive carpool.  We want all these children to make it to school safely. We also want them to make it home safely after school.

If you pay attention to pick-up and drop-off times, even if you don’t have children, you can plan accordingly. Allow extra time to get to your destination so you aren’t frustrated when you are slowed down while children are crossing streets or loading on or off the buses. If you are running late you know that will be the day you are stuck behind the school bus with no way to get around it!

Drive safely, teach your children about traffic safety, and hopefully we won’t hear of any tragic accident involving those innocent school children.

Janice

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