Single Dad Vs. the Almighty Dollar

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.