Already thinking about school supplies.

Holy cow, the kids go back to school in seven weeks. Whoa. It always shocks me how short the summer seems.

This means that in my house, it's time to start thinking about back to school stuff. You've probably figured out that I prefer to do things a little at a time, rather than put it off until I have to and get overwhelmed. That goes for big expenditures. And with three kids, school supplies turn into a big expenditure.

A few weeks ago, I got out the kids school supply lists for next year. We go grocery shopping every two weeks. Starting at the beginning of the June, I let each of the kids choose an item from their supply list. Thankfully, Wal Mart is thinking ahead too, and there is already one aisle devoted to trendy folders, notebooks, and stuff. Also thankfully, Justice is ahead of the game too - Elizabeth has her eye on a very cute bag there, that she just happens to need a new one of. I <3 Justice stores and their perpetual 20% off coupons.

School supply shopping is fun for the kids, with all the cool, colorful things that are available now. But if we do it all at once, we really have to scrimp and get plain everything to save money. When we do it a little at a time, it's easier to splurge a bit, AND it draws out the fun for the kids. Give it a try! It helps your wallet and your stress level, I promise.

Already thinking about school supplies.