Back to School; ALREADY??

Soon you will be bombarded by back to school promotions, tv advertisements and fall clothing in stores. And I know what you are thinking; Really? Already? Kids have only been off school for a few weeks. But lets face it – it is almost the end of July and August is the month of Back to School shopping.

 

I actually like to think of back to school shopping in two phases. The stuff you actually wear the first day and month of school while it is still hot out; no one is wearing hoodies and cords when it is still 25 degrees out.

And then there is the stuff you wear October onwards when it gets cooler.

So even though you will be encouraged to do all your back to school shopping through August, it actually makes more sense to split it into two trips.

 

One now during the end of season summer sales for those new outfits your kids (or you) will want to wear through indian summer. Then the second in around October when the pre-fall stuff starts to go on sale and you have had a chance to see what trends your kids (or you) want to participate in this year. Lets face it no one wants to spend money on an item that seemed cool at the time but then is discarded as uncool after a week or two back at school.

 

Of course not all back to school shopping is about new clothing. Get stocked up on school supplies while you can. Many retailers only carry these for a short time and you could be forced to pay premium prices at an office type store later in the season.

When it comes to both clothing for you, your kids and school supplies make sure you do an audit of your closet first. It is tempting to buy a whole new wardrobe every fall but it isn’t affordable for most of us and unnecessary too! Many basics won’t need replacing unless you have worn them to death.

What is on your radar for back to school? Do you remember to buy summery type items to get you through September or just rely on wearing something you have had all summer?