Shopping for School Supplies!

Freshly sharpened pencils, notebooks, erasers, paperclips...the essentials for starting the school year.  Definitely not the key words of June...and for sure the most empty aisle in the entire store!

Yet, as one of my school years comes to a close, another is just beginning.  Today I went out to buy a few things for Spain... I could probably buy it there (at a marked up price of course), but I want to come fully assembled, ready with everything.  Just in case.  That's just my style.

My goal was to get some skirts, sandals, all my school supplies, an umbrella, and some pjs for under $30 out of pocket.  And I did--very, very craftily.  So craftily in fact that I will tell you.

What I got:

• 2 pairs of Steve Madden Sandals
• 2 pairs of PJ pants (one short, one long) and a tank
• 2 skirts and 2 matching tops
• 2 notebooks, 1 hard-cover folder, 1 notepad, 40 mechanical pencils, eraser, metal clips, led refills, and post-it notes

What I got for my husband as part of his b-day present:

• 1 Collared Shirt
• 1 Graphic Tee
• Addis athletic shoes

How I did it:

• COINSTAR:  These machines ROCK.  You take all of your loose change sitting around the house dump it into one at your local grocery store and cash out.  The key is, most people want cash, and the machine takes 10% of your total.  No thank you!  To avoid this surcharge, take a giftcard.  It's 100% money in your pocket!  A mason jar on our table totaled over $70.  (We've been saving up for about a year or so).  Cha-ching!
• BECOME A TEACHER:  Basically, you can assume that all your students will fill your pockets with Target gift cards.  And this is a fact.  I had a few leftover from students just waiting for the taking.
• ROLLBACKS AND COUPONS:  Target does have lots of clearances... you just have to know where to look.  Don't buy your items as eye level (because they are the most expensive).  Lots of them have sticky coupons right on the items.  For example, some of the sticky, clear post-it notes had a coupon on it for $1 off, but it's on ANY of their products.  They put it on the most expensive one.  Take it off, and buy the cheapest one.  Easy! 
• REGISTER REWARDS:  Off Broadway shoes gives you 10% back of your previous total on your next purchase.  I had about $8 in rewards leftover.
• AAA: New York and Company gives you an automatic 30% off if you are a AAA member.  I used my expired card to get it because the lady was nice.  Yusss!  PJs were 50% off, plus my 30% off, making them 80% off!
• SHOP THE CLEARANCE RACK:  Ummm...duh? ;)

Here's the booty:

Gettin' ready for school!!  Can you tell I love color?