Back-to-School Money

Being that I'm not contractually back at work until tomorrow, I've been working from home today. I knew today would be an easier one, so I promised to pick my kids up early and do something fun with them. Meanwhile, it occurred to me that we haven't done any real back-to-school shopping with them. This is for good reason; Zach is in preschool, so he doesn't really need a backpack or school supplies, and Natalie's school does a fundraiser where you just pay a sum and a box of needed materials is delivered right to you.

Still, going back-to-school shopping is like a right of passage and it does a great job of ushering children from the easy-breezy existence of loose scheduling, lengthened bedtimes, and unfettered play to the various constraints of the school year. But shopping with my kids is usually a headache, as they frequently demand more items than I want to buy ("But I want all of these dresses!"), or they ask for something I wasn't even intending to purchase ("Look, Mommy! Legos/Barbies/Scented candles/A cordless vacuum!").

In grappling with this dilemma, I was struck by divine providence. I had an idea: a glorious, fail-proof, fantastic idea.

What if my kids had a physical representation of exactly what they could buy. No more, no different. And since they're pre-readers, it would have to be delivered in images, as well as words.

The best part (besides avoiding the mid-shopping trip whining) is that it only took a little imagination and printer ink on my part. I think it worked out pretty well.