Single Dad vs. the Almighty Dollar
Back to school looms large in the financial mind of a single
parent. Clothes, supplies,
lunches, and fees all swirl around as you plan for the upcoming year. It can be daunting ,but it is
manageable.
This year, I decided to plan and budget for quality. The first year I went inexpensive and
bought my sons’ clothing at l Wal-Mart and Payless. They worked fine, but they also wore out by the year’s end. This year I decided on quality over
quantity.
I live in a small town forty-five minutes or so from Shreveport,
Louisiana, and the Louisiana Boardwalk, which is filled with outlet stores such
as Gap and The Children’s Place. I
budgeted around a hundred dollars for three outfits apiece. For my twins, Alexander and Benji, I
planned on play oriented, but sturdy clothes. My second grader, Cash, I wanted to get fun clothing that
was a bit more grown up. Between
sales at both The Children’s Place and Gap, I was able to meet my goal and paid
ninety-six dollars for three pairs of shorts apiece and three shirts
apiece. This also included a
digital watch for my seven year old.
Outlets are a single parent’s gold mine. I was able to buy enough new clothing to send my bays off in
style and ensure hat they would not fall apart after a few washings.
My boys were in desperate need of shoes. I learned my lesson
last year when the cheaper shoes started to lose their Velcro halfway through
the year. I decided to go for a
brand name because it’s cheaper to buy one nice thing once.
I tried Shoe
Carnival, but the price range of thirty dollars or less had set for myself did
not yield quality shoes there.
Basically, you got the most awkward shoe. I headed to Beall’s in found two pairs of shoes in my twins
sizes for a total of fifty bucks.
They were silver and black Nikes, and the boys loved their “astronaut
shoes”.
For my oldest, J.C.Penney’s provided the answer in a pair of
Nikes with a similar color scheme for twenty-nine dollars. I ended up with three high quality
pairs of shoes with room to grow for less than one hundred dollars.
I had almost
completed back to school shopping for less than two hundred dollars. Not bad
for a 39 year old dad.
Finally, we needed backpacks. I eschewed a character backpack for my eldest son because
they seem to be cheaper made and to fall apart before the year is over. I got him a skater style backpack at
Wal-Mart for eighteen dollars. I
found Monsters University backpacks with attached lunchboxes at Academy. Those
went for fifteen dollars apiece. I also got my seven year old a lunchbox there
for twelve dollars.
My boys have everything they need to start the year for less
than three hundred dollars. I provided for my children at a time of uncertainty
and succeeded. I feel like a champ.
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