Tips on Back to School Shopping

I had such a lovely morning yesterday, sitting in the shade with my friend watching our kids playing something that required a whole lot of screaming in the pool, when she turned to me and ruined my day!

“This time in just over a week they will be back at school.”

What????

I was SURE that I had another week or so!!

I am sorry to say that I almost  couldn’t wait for her to go!

I got in the car and headed straight to my go-to store – Cheap as Chips!

The great thing is that they are not packed with manic ‘drop-off-my-list-and-fill-it’ Mums.

It is calm and welcoming.

The other great thing is that I can get EVERYTHING!! I need!

I can get all of my lunch and recess gear, ( I will show you them all later), the goods to keep organised and of course all of the bits and pieces that my kids need to get excited about going back to school.

Don’t let the name fool you! Cheap as Chips has the big brands as well as a cheaper alternative, and even a whole heap of licensed stuff like ‘Frozen’ and ‘Cars’ .

I am very fussy when it comes to pens and pencils and buy the named brands but buying them from Cheap as chips saved me a whole pile of cash!

The range of books and jotters that you can find at Cheap as Chips are really cool! I found myself buying more than I should just because they are so pretty!

Here are my tips for ‘Back to School’ Shopping

• Take a list You might still get distracted by the bright and pretty colours but you won’t forget anything!
• Take your child with you It gives them the joy of picking from the lovely range of erasers and more novelty goods and it gives them some a sense of ownership.
• Don’t forget plenty of spares of the basics like pencils and pens, if you haven’t set up a homework station then you are going to need spares for when they either run out at 8.30pm mid assignment or ‘forget’ their pencil case!
• Get some supplies for yourself! It is always when you are trying to explain a particularly knotty maths question that you realise that the kids won’t let you draw on their school books.
• Buy extra permanent markers! They are good for everything from labelling jumpers and drink bottles to writing on lunch orders and leaving notes that are guaranteed to be seen!
• Get some extra post it notes so that it helps trigger your memory about what notes need signing and who had to have a packed lunch, you can even use them to write sweet notes for your child’s lunch box!

• Get a month by month calendar! As soon as the term dates come out write them down and put it somewhere visible, It will help you keep track of holidays, pupil free days and excursions as well as who needs to be where after school. I got sick last year and my husband had NO idea about what our schedule was..

• Looking for a pencil case? Look in the cosmetics section as well, they have some great bags that are perfect for school or uni, and I will be that no one else has the same!
• For smaller kids look at these great bags where you can clearly see the contents! They have so many uses as well as pencil cases! I have bought four for my handbag!

Keep in mind that if you don’t see what you need, just ask the Cheap as Chips staff,

There are so many wondrous things jam packed into those stores that you might have missed it!

Have fun and happy shopping!