COLUMN: Shop wisely and go back-to-school with a bang

  • Melissa Herrera (COLUMN)
  • August 11, 2014
  • 363
                        
Wait, did someone say back to school? I thought it was still June? August usually comes flying right along somewhere soon after July has whizzed by. Flyers filled with colorful backpacks and clothing you just HAVE TO HAVE, according to the latest trends, is screamed from the high mountain tops. Lace-up boots, acid-wash button downs, and baggy boyfriend jeans are the latest “looks” calling out to the kids at the mall. Buy me! Buy me! Buy me! The sad part of this story is that more often than not, most of things are not affordable to the kid wanting them. Over-priced is the way of the world and it doesn’t look like that trend is going anywhere anytime soon. When it comes to school shopping you must become a sleuth of the highest order. Patience, rolled up with tenacity, are the next things you must find within yourself to get the best deals. If not, you’re just another number that walks into the mall or department store without a game plan – and you don’t want to be that person….unless you’re a millionaire and in that case you can stop reading now. My first and foremost plan of attack always was, and still is, Gabriel Brothers. I love this store and can spend one thousand minutes digging through each and every rack. My kids didn’t always love it here as they got older. Too much work! We want the mall! They realized as the years wore on that they could find value for their dollar here – and more items to wear. I have found unimaginable deals here for myself and for the kids from boots to tennis shoes. As we speak there is a CRAZY amount of Nike tennis shoes to select from. You never know where a shipment is coming from and what might be in it. I get there at least once every two weeks if we’re in Canton. It pays off. This year we found towels and assorted knickknacks for college there as well as some Express shirts Hunter dug up. It takes that patience and tenacity I was talking about to shop here as racks must be dug through. The payoff is well worth the time. We do shop the mall. We do shop Marshall’s and TJ Maxx where we found Hunter’s backpack. It was featured on the Apple store website for $80 – we found it for $25. It was the exact one he wanted. We also shop the clearance racks. We don’t take “big” shopping trips throughout the year, so I’m always glad we go in early August because the jeans are always on sale for back to school. Selena buys a pair from American Eagle every year, usually for around $25, and they last her the whole year (along with her pairs from previous years). There might be another pair involved during Christmas time. I can’t imagine buying five new jeans a year because they get better the older they get. Hunter gets his jeans this time of year but his usual deal at Pac Sun fell through this time. He ended up getting a beauty of a pair for around $25 at a store he doesn’t normally shop at. He was very pleased. The past year has been an unusual one for me as my kids have learned how to thrift for clothes. Selena, who hated garage sales and thrift stores, went to college and became a thrift store hound. Hunter as well would make trips with his friends and for $10 bring home great outfits and deals. I would sometimes cringe as they showed me their finds because all the clothes I wore in the 80’s are now coming back again to haunt me. The kids are thrilled with their new wardrobes and their wallets are still fat with their summer earnings. This is good. Save and Serve, Goodwill, and Plato’s Closet are a few favorites they like to haunt. Thrifting clothes may make some people’s noses turn up, but if you’re smart, you make them work to your advantage by blending pieces into your closet and making them new. This year I didn’t need to buy pencils, tablets, and binders because my last one is off to college. Instead we are looking for used Keurig’s, affordable bedding, and shower curtains. This, for me, has been a treasure hunt and one that is pleasant and affordable. Don’t give up and buy what you need at the big box store – put on your detective hat and get out there to find the deals. They are waiting just inside and underneath where you never thought to look.


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