Planning

School Clothes Shopping

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Back to school sales are in full force now. With such great prices it’s tempting to buy enough clothes for your child to last most of the school year. But beware, if your child is still growing this could be a big problem.

There’s nothing more frustrating for a parent to invest in plenty of clothes for their child only to have that child outgrow the clothes before they even have a chance to wear them. This can happen if you buy too many clothes ahead of time. It’s still warm out but the fall and winter clothes are filling the racks in the stores. Even buying too many warm weather clothes now to get school started could mean completely outgrown clothes by next Spring.

Children’s growth spurts are unpredictable. So even if your child has always been fairly regular with their growth in the past doesn’t mean this year will be the same. I remember one year my son (5th or 6th grade) went through 3 sizes of blue jeans during one school year. Since money was tight back then I was glad I only bought him a few pairs to start the school year off. By Thanksgiving they were looking like high water jeans. He wasn’t growing out as much as he was growing up. By March he needed the the next size and longer length. It wasn’t quite warm enough for shorts yet so we had to buy more jeans.

So if your child is still growing just buy enough clothes for the next few months. Sales are always going on so you will be able to take advantage of them later. It’s better to have to do more laundry now then to have to give away unworn clothes that became too small too soon.

The added benefit to having fewer clothes in the closets is being able to keep it more organized and less cluttered.

Janice

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School Sales Tax Holiday 2009

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Many states are having their school sales tax holiday this coming weekend. This can save you a lot of money if you live in or near one of these states especially when buying computers. Each state has different requirements. Check out these two sites to find out more info. You can always Google your state tax department (usually the Dept of Revenue) to find out if your state participates.

http://www.mytwodollars.com/2009/07/01/find-the-2009-sales-tax-holiday-for-your-state/

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/sales-tax-holiday-schedule.html

Before you go shopping make sure to go through what you already have in school supplies and clothing. There is no reason to buy more than you need even if you are saving a few dollars on taxes.

Here are several blog post from the past that deal with back to school. Check them out for more information.

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=242

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=100

http://organizebythemonth.com/?p=101

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Cut Clutter With Scissors Newsletter – New Format

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Here is a copy of my new newsletter. It is replacing the other two newsletter I had before. If you are not signed up to receive each week then please do so over on the right sidebar in the blue box. Thanks.

Cut Clutter With Scissors Newsletter – New format
Volume 1, Issue 1
August 3, 2009

Note From Janice I have decided to change my weekly and monthly newsletter to better serve you. I will no longer be writing the monthly “Organize By the Month News” as a separate newsletter. I will incorporate that info into the weekly newsletter.My new newsletter is being called, “Cut Clutter With Scissors Newsletter”. This is what you will see as the title of the email in your inbox. I will still have a decluttering tip each week but also include important dates and websites for upcoming holidays and events. When big holidays are coming I will start including that info several weeks ahead to help you be more organized. I also plan to use my blog for more current information so be sure to check it often. http://organizebythemonth.com
In the near future I will be including a small section called, “Recommendations”. This is where I will write a short review of a book, organizing tool or item, or even a website that I feel can help you declutter and organize your home and life. Most of the time these recommendations will be for things I personally have used and found helpful.
I hope you like the new format of this newsletter. I would love to have your feedback. You can let me know by replying to this newsletter or leaving a comment at my blog, http://organizebythemonth.com.

To a lighter load along the way.
Janice Scissors

In This Issue
1. Note from Janice
2. Decluttering Tip
3. Important Dates and Website links
4. Stay Connected


Decluttering Tip – Back to School With back to school gearing up it’s time to go through all of last year’s clothes and school supplies before you head out to the stores. Although most schools don’t start for several weeks, if you start now with planning and organizing you will be able to take advantage of the “back to school” sales.
Here are some easy suggestions to get you started.
1. School supplies. Dig out all the left-over supplies from last year and take inventory. Once you know what you already have it will be easier to buy only what you need.
a. Grade school age: Go through the left-overs with your child. It will help them learn how to get rid of clutter. Give away any usable/new but outgrown supplies. This could be last year’s fashion notebooks, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. If your child will reuse them, great! If not, it’s not worth fighting over if you budget allows. If you budget is tight then use this as a lesson for buying neutral items that won’t be outdated one year from now. If your school gives out a supply list be sure to check it against your at home supplies.
b. Older Grades: check your basic supplies such as pens, pencils, notebook paper, spiral notebooks, folders.

2. Clothes: Get rid of any that are too small, torn/stained, or your child won’t wear because it’s out of fashion. Fitting in with the “right” clothes is important to most children’s self-esteem. That doesn’t mean they should have designer brands. Many of the discount stores carry knock-offs of current styles.

Important Dates and Website Links There is not much going on in the way of holidays during the month of August. That’s probably a good thing because most people are getting in their late summer vacations and/or dealing with the mad rush of preparing for back to school.
National Night Out is Tuesday August 4. If you haven’t already heard about it from your trustees (subdivisions/complexes) then you can call your local police department to find out if they know who is setting up an event in your area. Here is the main website that can help you find out a little more information about it.
http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/

Back to School Information. Above I talked about decluttering last year’s school supplies and clothes in preparation for buying this year’s supplies. Here are several sites with more info to help you with these projects.

Clothes Shopping:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1296

http://www.dressingwell.com/backrel.htm

http://kidsfashion.about.com/b/2008/07/15/tips-for-back-to-school-shopping-on-a-budget.htm

School Supplies:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26044914/

Stay Connected
https://cutclutterwithscissors.com (website)
http://organizebythemonth.com (blog)
http://twitter.com/jlscissors
janice@cutclutterwithscissors.com (email)

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“Are We There Yet?” Travel Games

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If you have traveled by car with children then you have probably heard those dreaded but famous words; “Are we there yet?”. When my children were young it didn’t take them long before they grew bored with the things they had brought to entertain themselves on the trip. This was a time before most hand held video games and Ipods.

So, to help pass the time we would play travel games like who could go through the alphabet first by watching the billboards and road signs. The words had to start with the letter they were on and only the person who saw it first could move on to the next letter. This kept them busy for a little while.

Here are several sites that have lots of games for traveling. You can print out the game sheets and instructions. Keep them in a pocket folder ready to go when the children pop the question. Have pencils and/or crayons in a ziplock bag or pencil box. You will also want either a clipboard, children’s lap drawing board, or some other hard surface for them to write on. With a variety of games in the pocket folder you can keep them busy for hours.

http://www.momsminivan.com/

http://familyfun.go.com/family-travel/road-trips/feature/famf48cargames/

http://travelgameideas.com/index.htm

http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/printgames/a/gamesprint.htm

http://fun.familyeducation.com/games/travel-games/45743.html

Happy Traveling

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Traveling By Car

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It’s the height of vacation season. Are you getting ready to pack up and hit the road? Before you head out it is good to plan your packing so your travel light. They say if you add a lot of extra weight (luggage) you won’t get as good as gas mileage. Ok, I know it may only be pennies so that’s not usually a good reason. It’s better to pack light so all the luggage fits in the trunk. If you have ever traveled in the car with your feet squeezed between bags of extras and your children are packed tight in between backpacks, coolers, and other bags in the back seat then you are not packing light.

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When you pack your luggage for airplane travel you take only the essentials. After all, you have to drag the luggage from the car to the airline terminal and then from the airplane and/or luggage claim to a cab or rental car. Then into the hotel or other place you are staying. That’s a lot to lug around!

With a car we tend to pack more than we need because it’s like a mobile storage unit. We don’t have to totally unpack the car each night if we don’t want to. Don’t let yourself get in this mind set. Pack light and the car ride itself will be a lot more enjoyable. Plus, think of the leg room you’ll have.

I’m researching websites with lots of travel game ideas. I will post those either later today or tomorrow. If you plan ahead you can pull these games out when the kids start complaining “Are we there yet?”. Just print out the instructions and/or game sheets and have them ready to go.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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