The lazy days of summer are winding down, and it’s time to welcome back the alarm clock, soccer practice, ballet classes, homework, scout meetings and your over-scheduled life! Start the school year off right with these tips to help you make the most of each day.

Get Organized – Wouldn’t it be nice to start the school year with a method to the madness? Wouldn’t it be nice to have one place for all rosters, schedules and school information? Learn how to make a family notebook and simplify your life this year. If you love lists, check out hundreds of printable lists to put your world in order

Pack Healthy Lunches for the Kids – You’ll save money if you put a stop to packaged, prepared foods that are full of preservatives. If you’re too busy to make lunches, why don’t you teach your children how. Take it a step further and put together a list of healthy choices for them and buy a thermos so they can enjoy leftovers and soups.

Offer Healthy After School Snacks – A homemade smoothie is a healthy treat! Learn how to make your own fruit smoothie or use up overripe bananas in a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.

Eat out Less – Is it time to break the cycle of doing the drive thru for dinner? You’ll save money if you try meal planning made simple and eat at home. The Budget Diet specializes in Frugalicious and Fast dinner ideas like Quick Macaroni and Cheese(not from a box) or Pizza Poppers. Even easier, try my no recipe required dinner ideas.

Don’t Over-Schedule Kids – Slow down, enjoy life! It’s so important for children to have free time, so please don’t schedule every waking moment! Likewise, make sure to build in some free time for yourself! I set aside each Friday morning to go to the movies with friends – it’s only $5, and it’s a great way to kick off the weekend. Resolve to have a little me time each week.

Make Time For Family Fun on a Budget – Family fun doesn’t have to mean going out to an expensive dinner or taking the family to the circus. Try to come up with 10 ways to have fun on a budget and dedicate each Saturday night as family night. You could start a tradition of homemade pizza and a movie on Friday nights or how about sundaes on Saturday?

Exercise – The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to jump start your exercise routine! Get in the habit of walking or riding bikes with your children to school, you’ll save gas and burn calories! This is the year to put the brakes on the mom taxi!

Leaving homework, dinner schedules, and bedtimes to chance has a tendency to create chaos and frustration during possibly the only family time of the day. Establishing a routine does not have to mean never allowing for flexibility, but it gives parents and children alike the feeling of comfort that comes from knowing what is expected.

Children may begin to receive homework assignments as early as Kindergarten. Oftentimes in these early educational years, it falls to the parents to motivate children to finish their homework. Even in the later part of a child’s education, he or she may need structure and guidance. Some families choose the time directly after school to get homework done for the day. Others feel it may be better to allow children to decompress after a long day of concentration and constant social interaction. Should a child complete homework before or after dinner? The answer to that question depends upon the dinner, extracurricular activities, and bed times for each family. Determine which times are best for your child to sit down to homework. Once a routine is established, there should be less fighting about getting it done, fewer homework assignments turned in late, and happier parents and children.

A dinner schedule that works for the whole family is beneficial to everyone. Predictable meal times will encourage children to refrain from ruining their appetite with snacking. Children and parents should work together to put dinner on the table for a family meal. For some families that might mean one person either cooks or picks up food on the way home. Someone else then sets the table, and another family member fills drink cups.

Bedtime is another aspect of the afterschool routine that should be consistent. Younger students require more supervision and earlier bedtimes. Whether you incorporate a time for reading together or alone, children will benefit from an opportunity to lie quietly and cultivate the habit and skill of reading for pleasure.

Afterschool routines may change from year to year and from family to family as there are many factors involved such as age, siblings, and parents’ work schedules. Maintaining a consistent and reliable routine will give your child a feeling of stability during the formative years of his or her youth.

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Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt.com where you can find over 400 lists and planning pages including a Back to School Planner, Homework Schedules, Calendars and many more and also of List Mama Blog: Lists for List-Lovin’ Mamas.

Shopping online for back to school? Don’t forget to use these coupon codes to save money!

Kohls: Save 20% Off $100 Sitewide + Get Free Shipping On Your Order Of $50+ with code TAKE20. Ends 8/23/12.

Macy’s: Take $10 off any purchase of $75 or more + Free Shipping on $99+ with code XJW562A992. Ends soon.

Sears: Save 10-20% Off Orders of Clothing, Jewelry & Home for Back-to-School Over $59 + Free Shipping with code SEARSBTS. Ends 8/20/12.

Kmart: Get up to 30% Off Apparel + an Extra 15% Off Back-to-School Clothing with code BTSSTYLE15. Ends 8/18/12.

Skechers: 25% Off 2 or More Items With Promo Code MC25OFF. Valid for a limited time, so shop now.

Nike: Take An Additional 20% Off Already-Reduced Clearance With Code VICTORIOUS. Ends 8/21/12.

HP: Save an additional $20 Off your online order of $100+ at the HP Home & Home Office Store using coupon code 20RETMENOT. Ends soon.

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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This offer valid through 11:16am on Friday August 31st, 2012

Toward the end of every semester, college students run out of money and survive on ramen noodles! We’ve all been there, we’ve all learned from our money mistakes, so let’s help the next generation avoid the ramen noodle diet!

10 Tips to Help your college student manage money and avoid the ramen noodle diet!

1. Many colleges offer free workshops on money management and budgeting, encourage your student to attend!
2. Establish a written budget! Let’s suppose they have $160 a month to cover weekend meals, haircuts, entertainment and clothes. Help them allocate money in each of those areas.
3. Write down EVERYTHING they spend money on for an entire month, from a $1 coke to a $15 haircut. This is an eye opener when it comes to wasting money! Just one Starbucks per day can add up to $100 a month! A better alternative might be a coffee pot!
4. PAY CASH! If your student has $160 spending money each month, encourage them to get $40 cash out each week and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
5. Teach them to love coupons! College publications are full of coupons for restaurants, hair salons and entertainment! Suggest that they keep an envelope of coupons in their car, purse or wallet to avoid forgetting them.
6. Groupon is a great option for finding fun on a budget.
7. Introduce them to the world of discounted gift cards – the new way to save money! Save up to 35% on clothing, restaurants, movies and more! PlasticJungle.com
8. Goodwill, Plato’s Closet and Thrift Stores are a great way to stretch the clothing budget.
9. If their expenses are greater than their spending money, they have 2 choices: cut expenses or get a job.
10. Introduce them to TheBudgetDiet.com for tips on budgeting, cheap dates, coupons and more! Don’t forget the freebies page!

For more great tips on budgeting for life outside of the classroom, check out these tips for saving on room & board…the other big expense!

What money management tips do you have for college students?

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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ahhh, back to school. Some kids love it, others hate it. But either way you should make sure your kids are going back feeling confident and stylish for the new year. Young girls, in particular, can be under a lot of pressure to wear the right clothes and look a certain way. Luckily, big-box stores like Target, WalMart, and KMart have come a long way in the cute clothes department since you and I were in school.

The celebrity-inspired looks below can easily be replicated on a budget. Each outfit can be altered to make it look younger or older, depending on the age of your daughter.

Taylor Swift is a great role model for young girls. She always carries herself with grace and dresses with modesty — which is so refreshing when considering her contemporaries! Nautical pieces always seem to be trending, and this fall won’t be an exception. For a nautical look, think stripes and colors like navy blue, red, and white. Colorful jeans are big, so consider a pair or two in your daughter’s favorite colors.

This look from Big Time Rush‘s Ciara Bravo is a little bit country, a little bit bohemian. All-out denim is trending, and there are cute jean dresses available for every age. If your daughter’s shoulders must be covered, a versatile denim jacket will do the trick and can be worn with a variety of looks. A pair of simple tan or brown oxford shoes can be dressed up or down very easily.

If your daughter has a more sporty or relaxed style, then consider this look inspired by Selena Gomez. Simple denim shorts or blue jeans paired with a basic knit top is cute, comfortable, and easily accessible for any budget. A pair of colorful Converse All-Star shoes are a practical choice, as they can be worn with a number of different outfits. Also don’t forget the accessories! Costume jewelry from stores like Claire’s is an inexpensive and cute way to help your daughter feel stylish.

Are you sending your daughter back to school? What trends is she wanting to wear this fall?

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written by: Sarah Heckle

Author bio: Sarah Heckle is a writer, editor, and blogger from Indianapolis.

Did you know that the average American family spends $400 per child on back to school expenses?

Take a look at these 15 easy ways to save on back to school shopping, and I’m sure you’ll find a way to take a bite out of that $400 per child back to school expense!

1. Resale, Thrift or Consignment Shops: When it comes to clothes shopping, consider giving teens a clothing allowance, and let them make the choice of where to shop. They might think twice about buying a brand new pair of $80 jeans when they could buy 4 pairs of trendy jeans at resale shops like Platos Closet or Buffalo Exchange. Consider it a lesson in budgeting for your teen! Learn more about saving moneyat resale or consignment shops.

 

2. Tax Free Weekend: Do you know when your state’s tax free shopping weekend is? Check out the complete list of tax free weekend dates by state.

 

3. Needs vs. Wants: Back to school shopping is the perfect time to have a discussion about needs vs. wants with your child. Before shopping, take time to organize your child’s closet and look through old school supplies, so you can make a list of the items he or she really needs. Then…with list in hand…tackle those needs and avoid the temptation of wants!

 

4. Coupon Codes: If you’re shopping online…don’t leave the coupon code box blank! Ebates.com will help you find money saving coupon codes, and you’ll earn cash back on your purchases! It’s a win-win! If you’re not familiar with saving money using coupon codes, learn how to find coupon codes.

 

5. Backpacks: Have you ever thought of T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s or Ross for backpacks? Last year, we bought a name brand, $65 backpack for $12.99, it was exactly what my daughter was looking for!

 

6. Textbook Rental: If you have a college student, it’s time to look into renting textbooks and saving big!
    
7. Discounted Gift Cards: Do you regularly shop stores like Payless Shoes, Target, Children’s Place or Kohl’s? Take time out today to order discounted gift cards…they’ll arrive in just a few days, and you’ll enjoy instant savings! $100 gift cards for as low as $70 to purchase brand name products at your favorite stores! PlasticJungle -Buy, sell & trade gift cards

 

8. Scout Uniforms: You’ll find huge savings on gently used Scout uniforms on e-bay!

 

9. Haircuts: Oh the ways you can save on haircuts! Try your local beauty school for a haircut at a fraction of the cost. If your son has a basic crew cut, my friend promises it’s easy to do yourself…she said her razor even came with hair cutting instructions! Maybe your child only needs a bang trim…did you know most salons offer complimentary bang trims or bang trims for as little as $5. A quick bang trim is an easy way to extend the time between expensive haircuts!

 

10. School Supplies: The back to school sales have begun, and it’s worth the price of your Sunday paper to check out the massive amount of sale ads and compare prices. You’ll always find the Walmart, Target and Office Depot sale insert in the Sunday paper. How about letting your older children look for the best buys and make the shopping list? Don’t forget to order a discounted gift card to save at Office Depot! Right now you can get a $50 gift card for only $46.50!
    Office Depot – $50.00 gift card

 

11. Musical Instruments: New to the band or orchestra? You might consider renting your child’s musical instrument or searching Craigslist for used musical instruments. You never know if the band or orchestra is something they’ll stick with!

 

12. Water Bottles: More than 40 billion plastic water bottles are used each year in the U.S., and about 2/3 of those end up in landfills! Kick the plastic water bottle habit this year, and you’ll save about $20 a month. Those cute metal refillable bottles are available for a few bucks at Homegoods, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or Ross.

 

13. School Projects: Each year we buy so many tri-fold display boards and expensive foam core boards for school projects…only to throw them away at the end of the school year. I’ve finally come up with an easy money saving alternative…use ticky-tack to adhere the information to the display board, and when the project is complete, simply remove and reuse! You’ll even be able to reuse those pricey die-cut letters!

 

14. Sports Equipment: Huge savings await you on sports equipment at places like Goodwill, Play It Again Sports & E-Bay. You might also consider trading in your used or outgrown sports equipment at Play It Again Sports.

 

15. Swapping instead of Shopping: Consider organizing a clothes swap with other moms.
     

How will you save money on your back to school shopping?

Have you check The Budget Diet’s freebies page today?
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Image courtesy of: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How many days until your children go back to school? I’m sure they can tell you exactly how many days because the countdown is on!

This year, turn the back-to-school countdown into a game…it’s a way to savor those last days of summer, and it’s a way to beat the “I’m bored” syndrome! They’ll wake-up each morning looking forward to another activity!

Here’s how…

1. Figure out how many days are left until school starts.
2. Let your children come up with something fun to do each day until school starts! You set the budget!
3. Mark the activities on the calendar.

 
Need some ideas for free fun? Here are some fun and mostly free ideas!

• have a backyard campout
• make a Frozen Lemonade Pie…yummy!
• enjoy a picnic in the park
• meet Dad for lunch at his office
• read a book by the pool…maybe finish a required summer reading book????
• make homemade ice cream
• play in the sprinklers
• have a cookout
• go stargazing
• enjoy a lazy summer day…all day in your pajamas!
• take a trip to the farmers market
• go berry picking and come home to make strawberry jam! Click here for the easy recipe!
• take a walk on the beach or take a hike on a nearby trail
• skip rocks
• watch the sunset
• play croquet
• eat watermelon and have a seed spitting contest!
• catch fireflies

 
Well…that’s probably more ideas than there are days left before school starts, so get started today and enjoy those last lazy days of summer! You just might discover a new back-to-school family tradition!