**Just a warning, this post is kinda’ long **
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to raise good, well mannered, ambitious children in this world. Of course I accept it. What am I talking about, I have no choice but to accept it. The moment that I had my first child, almost 18 years ago, I knew what my mission was. Having children is only the beginning of the mission. There have been many missions since then and there will be many more. As always, failure is not an option. I must continue.
Mission Impossible #1: Go school shopping for three children (an 11th grader, a 5th grader & a kindergartener) for less than $500. Oh boy! How, oh how, am I going to accomplish that?
Okay Leila, put your thinking cap on. Let’s see, Big 5 has so many shoes @ such great prices. Fallas Paredes, the uniform store, has great prices on uniforms and accessories. But can it be done? Yes, it can and has been done.
Let’s see: The first person to buy for is Dakota. Since he’s in his junior year of high school, his clothes are important, so he gets first priority. He already has 4 pairs of jeans that I will put in the cleaners, so that’s less that I have to buy. I have to do a little bit more for him. JC Penney has a really good back to school sale every year. I mean really good.
Last year I got him five pairs of South Pole jeans for $100 + tax. I also got him South Pole t-shirts which were on sale for $9.99 ea. So I can get him five pairs of jeans w/10 shirts @ JCPenney’s for a grand total of about $200 + tax. For his shoes, Big 5 has And 1 ($29.99 + tax) and U.S. Polo ($16.99 + tax) tennis shoes. Getting two pairs of shoes for a teenage boy who just happens to wear a size 13 shoe for under $50 is almost unheard of.
The next person is Phillise. She’s only five, but she’s a girl. I have to tread very carefully with her because she already likes to shop. I am going to have to explain to her that she needs to wear uniforms and not regular clothes, so that she won’t cry. Little girls!
Her uniform calls for a burgundy & gray plaid jumper with a burgundy or white shirt. While I’m @ Fallas Paredes I will get her one jumper for $9.99, one pair of burgundy shorts for $5.99 and five white shirts @ $3.99 each. 
I can get David a pair of skate shoes ($19.99 + tax). He wears blue pants & a white shirt for his uniform @ school. I will go to Fallas Paredes and get two pairs of navy pants @ $9.99 + five shirts @ $3.99 ea. That will last him well into next month. I will just have to do a lot of washing.
Just in case you haven’t been keeping count, let me sum it up:
For Dakota, the total will be about $300.00 for 5 pairs of jeans, 10 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shoes + $20 for socks and underwear.
For David, the total will be about $80.00 for 2 pairs of pants, 5 uniform shirts, 1 pair of skate shoes @ Big 5 + $20 for socks and underwear.
For Phillise, the total will be about $80 for 1 jumper, 1 pair of shorts, 5 uniform shorts, 1 pair of shoes + $20 for socks and underwear.
That brings the grand total to about $500, once taxes are added, for 3 children. Shopping on a budget may take a bit of creativity, but it can be done.
** If your shopping budget is limited, do your wallet a favor and check out Big 5 for shoes and Fallas Paredes for uniforms & stuff.**
Special 2 Me 