School Supply Shopping and I Didn't Die

School Supply shopping!  It is my most dreaded activity of the summer.  Sure, sure, I really like fresh new supplies.  I really dislike fighting the crowds, digging through bins, wrangling four kids and dropping several hundreds of dollars.  Each year, I try and try to make it a pleasant experience, but I typically fail.  Miserably.

This year, though, I woke up with a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  I’m sure that sense of peace had most everything to do with the fantastic anniversary party we had successfully thrown the night before.  I had been thinking about and stressing about it for months.  Today, I just got to enjoy the success.  And I’m sure that lightened my mood.

But to ensure the school supply shopping would go smoothly,  I made a couple of really good decisions.  First, I decided the 30 minute drive to Lake St. Louis was worth the time and gas to shop at their Wal-Mart.  Although it was crowded still, the staff was on point.  I’ve never been to a Wal-Mart where an employee actual stops to ask if she can help me find anything.  And then, actually find said thing and bring it back to me!  Their supplies were stocked, we found everything we needed and I didn’t break the bank.

The second good decision I made was to give each kid $25 and their lists to pick out the supplies they wanted.  They went through the store with their own carts and loaded up then things they needed/wanted.  Grace then took each of them to a scanner she located in the baby department.  They rang in each item as she added it up on her calculator.  If they were over, they went back to swap out items.  If they were under, they went back to pick up a few more items.  This gave me the ability to take Layla and shop with her for her first year in preschool.  I also picked up a few household items we needed plus some of the bigger items each kid needed.

We spent about 2 hours shopping which I never do!  But it was actually calm and peaceful.  We weren’t running from place to place or fighting through crowds.  As we made our way toward the checkout, another employee asked if we were ready and opened up a register for us.  Since it was tax free weekend, I also saved a few bucks.

In the end, I spent a total of $200 at Wal-Mart for 4 kids school supplies.

From there, we stopped at the new thrift store in St. Charles.  Alex and Eva picked out a couple of nice back packs and I found a lighthouse picture that I really liked for the living room as well as a new laptop bag for me.  We spent another $30 there.  With the last few odds and ins to gather up throughout the week, it looks like we will be right on the budget of $250.

Finally, we called it quits and headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  The kids had a great time and really enjoyed their meals.  I was happy with our dining experience and didn’t spend as much money as I thought I might.  A win for all!

Hands down, the best school supply shopping experience of my time.