back to school shopping - Stuff Parents Need

How I’m Maximizing My Savings Online for Back-to-School Shopping

July 28, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Thanks to ShopAtHome.com and Belk for partnering with me on today’s post about back-to-school deals. All thoughts, opinions, and total lack of creative skills are my own. Affiliate links included.

Yesterday I had to go shopping for clothing for an upcoming trip. I only shopped inside a store because I didn’t have enough time to order stuff online. I spent an hour scouring racks and trying on a dozen things in the fitting room. I did walk away with the items I needed (a new skirt and 2 new pairs of shoes) but it absolutely WORE ME OUT.

Additionally, when I got to the register I realized that I didn’t have any coupons to help shave something off the bill. This is hardly ever a problem when I shop online because I can often find additional savings opportunities through ShopAtHome.com. Shopathome.com back-to-school

Most everyone still has at least a week before school starts back, and most of us have 3-4 more weeks, so let’s take advantage of the current time lead and get that back-to-school shopping done online!

Right now, Belk (a department store largely in the South, but available for everyone to shop with thanks to the internet!) is having some terrific sales, and ShoptAtHome.com has DOUBLED their cash back offer. By clicking through the Belk link on ShopAtHome.com you are eligible to save 12% on your order, and that’s in addition to any coupons you might be using (currently ShopatHome.com has 23 coupon coupon offers for Belk).

Let me demonstrate how to rock what ShopAtHome.com and Belk have going on right now:

First head to the Belk page on ShopAtHome.com.

Then look through the coupons. Right now I’m seeing one for $10 off a $50 order. I’m going to click this link to get my savings code, and then I’m taken to the Belk site. Right now I’m looking for a few adorable pieces for my youngest, who is starting preschool in a few weeks. I’m a fan of Rare Editions and Bonnie Jean, because both lines tend to have whimsical, colorful prints and patterns that remind me a bit of Matilda Jane. But thanks to the Belk sale and the ShopatHome.com discounts, I won’t be paying Matilda Jane prices! 🙂

This 2-piece set is already marked down 40% and is currently priced at $30. Into my cart it goes!

And this owl outfit? Yes, please! It’s also on sale right now for $30, also 40% off.

Now given the ridiculously cute factor of these outfits, $60 isn’t too terribly bad, but I definitely want to do better. So I’m going to use that $10 off coupon code I found at ShopatHome.com to bring my total down to $50. Then I’m going to check out and pay the total, but here’s where the perks of ShopatHome come back into play: after checking out, I know that I am going to be credited back 12% of my purchase through ShopatHome. So I’m going to see $6 of that payment come back to me, and all I had to do to earn it was use ShopatHome.com. By using this site, what would have cost me $60 actually only cost me $44. And FYI if you like these brands…I saw quite a bit on the site that was 75% off!

And on top of all that awesome, ShopatHome.com also has the ShopGold program, which I think of as a loyalty program. Each store you shop at through the website is worth a certain amount of ShopGold coins. Coins that you earn by shopping can be redeemed for gift cards down the road. It takes a while to earn enough to get a gift card, but I see this as icing on the cake and a really great way that ShopAtHome.com is thanking their members for remembering to shop with them. More savings on top of all of the other savings is a pretty nice thank you! 🙂

ShopatHome.com sends checks out monthly, once you reach a minimum of $20 in your account. With the great cash back offers they have on hand, it won’t be too hard to earn that amount, friends. If you haven’t signed up for ShopAtHome.com, what are you waiting for? It’s completely free to join and is designed to save you as much time and money as possible.

I Let My Husband Pick Out the First Day Of School Outfits! (Giveaway!)

August 20, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 181 Comments

This post on back-to-school fashion for girls may contain affiliate links.

Yesterday was Darah’s first day of school. She’s in year 2 of the 3 year cycle at Montessori school, but if she were in a more traditional classroom, this would have been her first day of preschool. I was aware of this fact, and as a result, I teared up more than once while taking pictures of her in the morning.

I thought I was going to hold it together, but I just couldn’t get over how grown my sweet baby looked. Her outfit was beyond adorable, and her socks…well…those sent me over the edge. Yes, I cried at the sight of her adorable socks!!

My friends over a Gymboree were kind enough to send me a gift certificate to get our back-to-school shopping started off right. I was so happy to work with them, as I order things from Gymboree fairly often (who can resist with all those Gymbucks offers, am I right?). But I decided to do something a little different this year: I gave Tim FULL REIGN over picking out something for both Darah and Layah to wear on the first day of school.

Did I lose my mind? Oh no, friends, this was a very strategic move on my part. You see, Gymboree makes is SO easy to find coordinating pieces, since they create entire collections around one theme. I knew that Tim would have to really make an effort in order to get something that wasn’t absolutely adorable. Gymboree makes that really hard!

The socks shown above were just part of the “so cute I cried” outfit he chose for Darah. Wanna see it???

I think she caught on to how cute I thought she was in this colorblock dress, because the model attitude started coming out early on in the photo shoot! She’s 4 going on 14….heaven help us!

And while Layah wasn’t starting a new year in school today, she did go to her Parent’s Day Out program, and I wanted her to take part in the back-to-school festivities, so she also got an outfit (the flower dot sweater dress). And Oh. My. Word!

I just love how the dresses are completely different, and yet those stripes pull them all together for a coordinated look. The dress is a soft sweater material, which I know will be comfy for a on-the-go toddler like Layah. And those sleeves! The little poof in them! Makes me swoon…

Tim reported back to me that he really had a lot of fun picking out clothes for the girls. He said he loved the selection at Gymboree, the ease of finding outfits that coordinated without being too “matchy-matchy” and he also loved that there were so many options that weren’t pink! 🙂

I think he rocked it out. Do you agree?

Win it!: Gymboree wants to celebrate the start of a new school year by offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a $75 gift certificate to Gymboree!!!!!

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How I Tackle Back to School Shopping

July 19, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As I mentioned earlier this week in my girls backpack post, it is time to start getting serious about back-to-school shopping. You may be scratching your head at this idea, as depending on where you live, school may not be starting back for another month or even more. We are 30 days, exactly, from the first day of school for Darah. While I technically could go get all the supplies she needs the week before school (or maybe even the day before…her list is still relatively short since she’s in preschool), that is not my strategy.

My strategy is to shop the sales for the entire month leading up to the first day of school. I do this because every single week from now until then there are some great items at a fantastic price. But the entire list of things I need is never on sale at one time. But by watching the sales for the next month, I should be able to pick up almost everything I need at a hefty discount. And that leaves more money in my budget to cover things like another pair of shoes or some new clothes for the school year.

One of the things on my shopping list is White Cloud Facial Tissue. I love that you can buy it in multipacks (3 or 6). This is great for those of you who have more than one going to school. That isn’t the case for us, but I happily send along some extra tissue for the classroom. I’m not in a position to make large financial gifts to Darah’s school, but I can help out by picking up some extra supplies at a good price.

Have you ever tried White Cloud tissues? They are a brand carried exclusively at Walmart (check out the White Cloud Store Locator to fin your nearest location, as they are only available in select markets). They are an outstanding value because they are priced with the budget conscious shopper in mind, yet they feel so soft, like a more expensive brand.

I also love that when you purchase this product, you can also support the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals by purchasing the limited edition White Cloud CMN Facial Tissue boxes. Why not help a great cause while taking care of things on your shopping list AND getting a great deal? Win-win-win!

Speaking of getting a great deal, there’s going to be a coupon in the July 28th Sunday paper. You can also visit mywhitecloud.com/school-supply-list/ and get a coupon so you can check this product off your shopping list right now! Additionally, you can also find the coupon in several magazines out this month, including Better Homes & Gardens (be sure to wave at me, as you’ll find me in there, too!).

And to really stay on top of the savings opportunities with White Cloud, be sure to follow them on their social media outlets, including the White Cloud Facebook Page, White Cloud Twitter Page, and the White Cloud Pinterest Page.

So what’s your back-to-school shopping strategy? Do you have to buy tissue for your classroom? Ever tried White Cloud?