The Second-Biggest “Holiday”
The start of a new school year may not seem like a holiday to school kids, but for retailers the back-to-school shopping season, now in full swing, is the second biggest ìholidayî of the yearósecond only to Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation, the average family with school-age children will spend nearly $530 this year on school supplies, school-related electronics, and clothing.
Mattís View
Most of the back-to-school shopping advice articles now filling the personal finance pages of newspapers and magazines offer up the usual ideas: shop around, compare online prices with offline prices, and, while itís too late for this year, get the list of items your childrenís schools will require before the summer break begins and then be on the lookout for summer sales. One story recommended leaving the kids at home while doing your back-to-school shopping. I couldnít disagree more. Back-to-school shopping offers a great opportunity to teach kids money management lessons such as budgeting (how to make and, yes, stick to a budget), comparison-shopping, and making tradeoffs (Letís see, do I buy a trendy new messenger bag or keep using last yearís backpack and buy three pair of pants and a new pair of shoes instead?).
Managing Money by The Book
- "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." - Psalm 119:16
Recommended Resources
- Money Strategies for Tough Times
- Are you feeling the effects of today's economy? Who isn't? "Money Strategies for Tough Times" can help you successfully navigate the tough times, get to a better place with your finances, and stay there. In this new book you'll find...…Read the rest
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