Back To School!

How the time flies. J starts back to school, 10th grade, in three weeks. School clothes, school supplies, bus fee - All very expensive. If only J was more like me as a teen. I was aware of money and where it comes from and where it goes. I would get the most I could for a set dollar amount. She doesn't plan her clothing into the winter months - she is only concerned about her current wants and needs.

I grew up with limited funds and often had hand-me-downs or second hand clothing. Often by choice. I didn't start getting many new clothes until I got a job and earned my own money. My parents simply could not afford it. Oh well, when she is living on her own, maybe she will start to understand that you really have to make tough decision and think towards the future. If you spend your money now on your wants, what happens when you need to pay the bills and there is no money?

Time really is going by quickly. E is 3.5yo. I have started the process of getting us registered with the school district in the town I work - open enrollment. E will start preschool next fall (2012) and Kindergarten in 2013. Hard to believe she is to that point already. She really is growing up.

I chose the town/district that I work in simply because with my full time job and Hubby on the road 5 days a week, there is no one else to transport E back and forth to school in the time frames we would need. Here, her daycare center will provide transportation to and from school until she is old enough to use the school's care center. That care center (before/after school) is run by the same people who own her current daycare center. Often the staff swaps back and forth depending on the needs and number of kids.

The thought of E starting school (especially with back to school season happening currently) makes me want to start making small purchases and stocking up on school supplies that she will need in the future to help lessen the expenses at that time. I haven't actually started stocking up yet, but in time I will. We are planning a garage sale currently so that we can clear out many of the things we no longer want/need. That will help free up a lot of space so that we know what we have and what we need.

I still have all of E's baby clothes, ultimately have only stored it all away as she outgrew everything. That's birth to size 4 in girls clothing. Most if it should still be in great shape. If I can't sell it at the garage sale, some of it will certainly be kept for a consignment sale. Sooo much planning and decision making. But at the same time, I plan to clean out our master closet as well of all the clothes that we no longer wear or fit into. So much stuff can just be gone.

The feeling of freedom will be so nice. There hopefully will be a lot less clutter and we will have space to really sort and store the things we ultimately need and want to keep. I have a bunch of my grandmothers' dishes/cookware that I got after they passed/no longer needed them. I wish I had a curio cabinet to store them in so they can be seen. One day that will happen. I do use many of the items, especially during holidays. I just need to get things sorted so that I know what I have and what I want to use when.

So back to school season has become crunch time to get this garage sale organized. With that will come the purging/cleansing that we need to be happier in our house. If we are happier with our surroundings, then we will better be able to handle the additional running around that the new school year brings. DEEP BREATH!