School Clothes Shopping

Ok guys....so I totally feel like I had one of those rare moments....a mom "drop the mike" moment. I totally nailed school clothes this year!! I think it was the smartest shopping plan of attack I've had so far, and most importantly, all three kids were thrilled with what they got.

First, we split it up between different paychecks.  2 teen/pre teen girls can quickly break the bank with just the basic needs....throw a boy in there too, and splitting things up was key.

Second, they each had their own "day" to shop.  Emma has extreme shopping anxiety. She hates choosing things, hates spending money, hates the whole process. Add to that she's been having panic attacks in crowds (the throat closing up, can't breath kind)....and I knew I was going to have to really be on top of my game to make sure the day was fun for her.  I already did a post about her shopping day...but the short version is it was a success. Next up was Myles, a 9 almost 10 yr old boy who is particular, but also easy to please.  He was most happy with his Puma back pack, and John Cena "Never Give UP" sweat pants.  He scored some sweet shoes and hats on clearance for under $3!!  He took half of Friday and was done.  His loot is below-

 That brings us to Sophie, my 12 year old who's going into 7th grade.  She is also pretty sensitive about money.  If we go out to eat, we hide the total because she feels bad (eating out with 5 isn't cheap), pretty much anytime we spend money on her she gets upset.  So, I wanted to break her day down even more minutely because I knew she'd be keeping track of what was spent or how much things cost and she'd melt down or just stop shopping before we got everything she needed.

So, I did all her basics at the same time as we were shopping for Myles.  So back pack, lunch bag, under garments, socks, and shoes. There was no way for her to know what I spent on her because it was mixed in with Myles stuff.

You might notice a watch in there. She made a list of "wants" and "needs". The watch was on her "wants" list, and we found a cute, cheap one at Kmart.

 She was super stoked to find these Converse in her size at Ross.  99% of all shopping this year was at Ross and Kmart.  We are really good at finding cute deals!

Saturday was Sophie's shopping day, and all we had left was the fun stuff - tops and bottoms.  Just like with Emma, we started off with Pete's coffee and breakfast.  She's also nervous in crowds, so I parked in a sunny spot and dropped the tailgate for a parking lot breakfast for two.  It was nice to sit and eat/drink/talk/soak up some sun before we got started.  Our first stop was Ross.  Emma had done really well there, and I as hoping Sophie would, too.

 After 2.5 hours of this process....

 We were done!!  She scored some darn cute clothes and was thrilled with everything.  Yes....done at the first store!  That made me so happy.  And that shirt doesn't say "mething", there's an S before the heart, so it says "something".

 You might spy some new Saucony's in there, that was papa's contribution from Sports Basement. They were having a great sale, so he snagged her a pair. (she broke those in on the trail this morning)

 I love that my kids know who they are and have their own individual styles.

 Boom!! I got it done like a boss. I feel like the waters get a little harder to navigate each year as each kid has their own quirks and needs, but somehow everyone enjoyed the process this year, including me!  Now....lets get them all back to school already....momma wants more mountain time!