Do These 5 Things Now, Before School Starts, To Be Ahead Of The Game!

Back-to-school season has already started for many, and the countdown to that last day of summer/first day of school has begun.

This year, don't get caught panicking at the last minute, trying to cram all of the school supply shopping and "before school" errands into one week. If you start with these simple things now, you'll be sitting pretty in September.

Here are 5 things you can do this month to make life significantly easier for you this fall.

1.) Start stocking up on sanitizer, supplies & snacks right now. 

If you make it a point to pick up a few of these things during every shopping outing from now till the first day of school, by September you'll have amassed a good supply to get you through the first few weeks of school, while others are left scrambling at the last minute.

Knowing how hungry my kids are those first few weeks of school, I usually start to stock up on granola bars and healthy snack items weeks before I start packing lunches. (The only issue I find with doing this in advance is finding a place to hide these things so the kids aren't tempted to help themselves to snacks early!)

The same goes for hand sanitizer. Some of these items will likely be on a wish list or supply list that your teacher may send out at the beginning of the year. If you grab an extra bottle each time you stop into the store, you can start to check those items off those lists, too.

Grab some pencils one week, and paper the next. Like anything, if you break it up over the month, you can help yourself avoid that September sticker shock!

2.) Start your clothes shopping now, even if it's only for the small stuff. 

Your kids have likely grown over the summer. While you may be hesitant to get an entirely new wardrobe a month before it's time for them to go back, trust me when I say, that taking care of even the small stuff first will help you big time later. Start by grabbing some new socks and underwear. The next week, tackle tops. The week after, make sure their bottoms are covered. Taking on a little at a time, especially with multiple kids, helps. This also gives you a little time in advance to go through their closets to take inventory of what still fits and what pieces they need to replace.

3.) Book their yearly physical or sports physicals for August

Most physicians I know are booked solid at the very least a few weeks out. Scheduling those yearly physicals now actually checks off a couple of boxes. If there's anything that needs to be taken care of or caught up (immunizations or medication refills, etc.) can be done with a little more flexibility, and you won't have to interrupt a school day to fit it in.

Also, if your child plans to participate in a school sport, contact your school's office to pick up a sports permission slip, and bring it to the exam. Have your doctor fill it out in person. Then check that off your to-do list and they'll be all set for that first practice.

4.) Don't forget about the dentist and the eye doctor.

Specialists such as dentists and eye doctors can also be busy once the school year starts. If you can get your child in for their annual dental cleaning before September, you may have more flexibility in planning that date. Not to mention it's a good thing to go into the school year with a nice, clean smile, especially since picture day is usually not far after that first day of school.

And if you get the eye exam before school starts, you can identify any issues early, and get them worked out before class.

This also allows extra time should your student need glasses or have a prescription change. Sometimes glasses need to be ordered. This gives you a chance to put that order in, and get them before your kiddo needs to start reading things!

And finally...

5.) Schedule an early Back-to-school haircut.

I don't know about your kids, but mine have spent the summer playing outside, in the dirt and mud, and they're looking a little on the feral side at the moment. Before you get ready to start snapping those First Day of School Selfies, only to realize that while their outfits and smiles are banging, their bangs are so long you can't see their faces, it's a great idea to get those heads tidied up.

This also allows for extra time in case they get a cut that's a little too short, You'll have a bit of a buffer to have it grow out before they head back.

Good luck out there!