Here in the west coast, we are behind some other areas of the country for our grand return back to school. We still have a little bit of shopping time left to go, but even the west coast clock is ticking as the first day of school draws near.  In our house, it’s important that we are making the most of our time, energy and money as we prepare for that sweet first day back to school (happy dance).  As I would imagine is the case for many homes in the back to school boat.  I thought this would be a good time to share some organizing tips for back to school shopping as well as share the teen twist we had in our house this year.

Organizing tip # 1:  Depending on the age of your kids, either you or your kids need to go through their clothes and decides what still fits, what’s still “in,” what items are too worn out and what your kids still like.  Make a list of all the items you know you need to shop for and don’t forget about coats & shoes.

Organizing tip #2:  Remove clothes that won’t be able to be worn, and depending on their condition, either pass them down to a sibling or someone else you know, donate them or throw them away if they are really bad.  This is a time that many churches or charities are doing clothing drives for kids who really need clothes and their families just don’t have the money.  This is a great time to help someone else out!

Organizing tip #3:  Set a budget for your shopping trip that is fair and you know you can stick to.  Don’t overlook the amazing deals that can be found at consignment shops.  There are some shops out there geared for teens with all name brand clothing and amazing price tags to boot.   Go shopping and have fun!

This year I did something a little bit different for my teen and it has worked out great!  Sometimes she likes to shop online and I decided I didn’t want her asking for my credit card all the time.   So I bought a Visa gift card with a set amount of money on it that she has been able to do all her shopping with, both online and in the stores.  She has a budget to work with and she is maximizing her dollars with really good deals, consignment shopping and hemming her own jeans (I don’t even know how to do that!).  I don’t have to say yes or no as the shopping power is in her court, she is learning a super lesson on how much things cost and how to stretch her dollar so she has more in her closet.  And even better, she has no one to fight since she’s the one doing it all!

Follow these organizing tips for your shopping all year around to keep closets filled with clothing that fits and keep your kids happy!

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Tags: back to school shopping, closet, coats, consignment shops, jeans, organizing tips, shoes, shopping, teen, Visa