Week of 8/15/2007

Back-To-School Blues

It's that time of year again. In only a few weeks the kids will be heading off to school. This time of the year can be a real budget buster, especially when Christmas seems not-so-far away. If you're like most parents, you want to outfit your children with new, or at least different, clothing. School supplies aren't optional; they're a necessity. Here are a few saving ideas to use this year and every year.

Leave the kids at home. Unless you absolutely have to try every piece of clothing on your child or you haven't a clue what size he/se wears, taking your children with you to shop for all the back-to-school stuff is hard on your wallet, hard on you and hard on the kids. They always want things that cost more than you want to pay. They want the newest things advertised on TV, even if the fad only lasts 3 months. They always want more than they need.  And it's hard not to give into their demands, especially if they're tantrum prone. Do yourself a favor and leave them at home if at all possible. Use your good common sense to purchase stylish but practical items.  If you have to take the kids with you to shop, make a contract with them: You will purchase only those items that BOTH of you agree on.

Shop kids consignment stores. Much of the stuff in a kids consignment shop still has a lot of life left in it, enough that if taken care of, you can turn around an consign it right back when your child outgrows it. Sometimes these shops are hard to locate.  At Kids Consignment Sales, you may be able to locate these shops in your area. Or try these online consignment shops: OnceWornNotForLong.com , WornButNotForgotten.com , GentlyLovedClothing.com .

Get more bang for your buck. For school supplies, lunchbox snacks and a lot of other things, your local "dollar stores" are a treasure trove of incredible value. You can usually walk out of these stores with bags of stuff for less than $20.00. And don't forget K-Mart and Wal-Mart for some great bargains as well.

Buy used textbooks. Books can last for a very long time if well cared for. Why buy new textbooks if a used one will do. You might want to try Book Byte to see if you can find used textbooks for your child's curriculum.

You can also shop for many more back-to-school bargains on Ebay or Craigs List.

Week of 8/22-8/29/2007

Free College

No, you're not seeing things. Yes, we said FREE COLLEGE. We're talking about HUGE savings here. Some universities offer cooperative undergraduate and graduate programs in which students switch between classroom and workplace to earn college credit. They are either in school or at work all year. There are no summers off, but they are paid for their work.  The result is that some students graduate with NO DEBT, 60% are hired by their co-op employers; and 95% find jobs immediately upon graduation.

This concept started at the University of Cincinnati in 1906 and is now available at 500 colleges nationwide. This concept is even growing internationally. Some schools offer it only for specific majors while a few require it of all students.

If you have college-age children or are thinking of going back to college yourself, this is certainly something you want to check out. Go to www.co-op.edu for more information. The Director of College Cooperative Education Programs at www.greenwood.com can also be of help.

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