school supplies

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?

Back-to-School Savings Made Easy with RetailMeNot

July 14, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Back-to-School Savings!

Want to know a simple online shopping trick that has saved me several hundred dollars over the years and takes all of 5 seconds? Every time I shop online, prior to checking out I head over to RetailMeNot.com and see if there is a special coupon or offer for that store that I can take advantage of and save a bit of money. As back-to-school season gears up, I want you to get in the same habit I’m already in, and check out RetailMeNot before placing any more online orders!

I would say that at least 75% of the time I discover a way to knock the price down a bit, either by scoring free shipping or taking a certain dollar amount off the price. If I’m not feeling picky about the particular store I shop at, I can almost always find at least one store that is running a special offer for that type of item, as well. It is one of the easiest ways I have yet to find to save money, and it all happens at RetailMeNot, the largest digital coupon website in the United States.

photo credit: Krissy.Venosdale via photopin cc

Right now at RetaillMeNot you can score coupons for everything from school uniforms, to backpacks, to books, and even for desktops and laptops.All of the coupons found on RetailMeNot are totally free. There’s nothing to buy and LOTS to save!

In particular, think about all that you can save on supplies for the classroom. For the 2013-2014 school year, schools in 35 states are operating with budgets that haven’t been this low since 2008. Budget cuts are very real and teachers are having to dig even deeper into their own pockets to help pay for supplies for their students. Be part of the solution this year by donating some supplies you can score through RetailMeNot for an amazing price!

Win a Classroom Shopping Spree!

RetailMeNot is also hosting a really fantastic contest where you can win a classroom shopping spree! Entering is really simple. All you need to do is create a video (nothing fancy necessary!) nominating your favorite teacher who could really use some extra school supplies. The teacher who wins will get a 3 minutes Costco shopping spree, all thanks to RetailMeNot! From computers, to crayons to snacks for the kids, there’s no limit to the great things that could be snagged at that store! Check out the official rules and details here, and get your nomination in by Saturday, August 10, 2013. One lucky teacher is going to win…why shouldn’t it be the one you know deserves it?

Find Even More Deals!

Back-to-school savings at RetailMeNot barely even scratch the surface of all you can find there. You can find clearance sales (one of my favorite things to browse!), as well as deals at local restaurants! You can even stay informed about the best deals while you are out and about. Just download the RetailMeNot Mobile Coupons App, and you can make sure you are always getting the best deal at the mall or other stores you might frequent. This was something I actually didn’t know about, but you better believe I just downloaded it, myself!

Are you ready for back-to-school shopping? Can you believe it is already time??? What’s on your list this year? Are you already a RetailMeNot fan, like me?

Thanks to RetailMeNot for sponsoring this content. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always.

Barker Creek Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set Review and GIVEAWAY!!

August 21, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · 105 Comments

Darah is showing some clears signs of readiness for learning to read. One of the clearest signs is that she is growing increasingly frustrated when she sits down to read that she can’t actually read the words. Tim and I read to her every day, but I can tell that she wishes she could read to herself. She often points to letters she recognizes on the page, or points to certain words and asks what they say.

Darah’s teachers have also reported back to us that she seems particularly interested in the language lessons in the classroom, and spends a great deal of time working on her letter sounds. We’ve been working on having similar lessons in our house so that she can continue working on something that interests her so much, and so that she can make strides on the path to reading.

Barker Creek is a website that has many award-winning educational products that are ideal for the classroom and for home. I took a bit of time recently to flip through their catalog. I was extremely impressed by the comprehensive selection of products that teachers and homeschooling parents would love to see in their classrooms. Even if you don’t fit into either category, they still have TONS of stuff that can provide educational enrichment to your child!

Want to see what we’ve been enjoying from Barker Creek?

Check out the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set, currently available for $49.99. It comes with the following elements:

magnetic a-z pictures (one picture for each letter in the alphabet)
magnetic uppercase letters
magnetic lowercase letters
magnetic Kidboard

We have both really enjoyed sitting down together to work on matching pictures with letter sounds. What we do is pick out a picture, then identify the letter sound it begins with and search for that sound. We don’t put the focus on the name of the letter, but instead, on the sound it makes, as I have learned that reading readiness skills are enhanced by looking at letters and thinking of their sounds even before thinking of their official names.

Darah really loves the Kidboard, and being able to make her own charts of pictures and corresponding letter sounds. Here you will see her latest completed board!

In addition to the letters and pictures, we also received the Learning Magnets Numbers and Math Signs set. This is going to be useful for several years, and we’ll be able to practice number identification, and later on addition, subtraction, division and multiplication! This set is available for $9.99.

We also received the Magnetic Kidmath Critter Counter Set, available for $9.99. I LOVE these magnets, as they make the abstract concept of math very tangible, using bugs as examples of quantities. Montessori education states that students are going to really learn a concept once it becomes tangible, and can be understood using all the senses. I believe these magnets are a step in that direction!

I highly recommend these tools for helping with reading and math readiness. My child is enjoying them and really seems to focus when she has her magnets and her Kidboard out for a lesson. I will also say that the quality of the magnets is quite good! I’d love to hear what you all are doing (or did in the past) to help your children learn to read and learn about math.

Don’t miss out on the weekly web-only specials at Barker Creek. They offer a variety of products at 50% off every week. Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

My First School Supply List as a Parent

August 16, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Well, it came a little bit sooner than I expected, but I received my first school supply list last week. Fortunately, it was not overwhelming. Here’s what I have to bring with Darah on her first day of “school” (a parent’s day out program):

Cotton balls (200 count)
paper bags (50 count)
glue sticks (6 count)
crayola crayons (chubby 8 count)
pipe cleaners

That’s really not so bad! I actually picked it all up at Walgreens and made good use of some register rewards I had there to cover most of the cost. The only thing I’m missing is pipe cleaners. I’m guessing a trip to Wal-Mart is in my future to get those (unless they are sold at The Dollar Tree? Does anyone know?).

I don’t feel sad or scared about Darah going “back to school” this year, but that’s because she’ll be going to the same place she went to last year, with many of the same children. The teachers will be new, which does make me a little bit nervous, but I am confident that wonderful people will be hired. Darah will also only be away from home for 10 hours each week, which is an amount that I find very helpful as a work-at-home mom. Ask me about next year, though, and I’ll probably start crying…

I always think of late August as the new year. Perhaps it is because that’s when my birthday falls, so it literally is a new year for me, but mostly its because of heading back to school. For 20 years of my life I did start a new year at this time. And then I worked in higher education, so I continued to be immersed in a work environment that had a August-May heartbeat (not that we weren’t busy during the summer, but the vibe was decidedly different).

Even though it isn’t back to school time for me, personally, I actually do have a supply list that I need for the upcoming fall. It is time for me to have some new business cards for the blog! Since I had a blog makeover, my cards need a similar facelift. And with school headed back into session, this is the perfect opportunity for me to connect with other moms who might be interested in Stuff Parents Need. I need to be able to hand them something to take back to their computers or else they will likely forget the name of my site (I know I’ve done that before after hearing about something cool I wanted to check out online). As a bonus, they will also have a way to contact me if they ever want to schedule a play date!

Even if you don’t have your own blog or business, having a personal calling card on hand is a great idea, as it makes exchanging personal information with another parent quick and easy. Tiny Prints has some great templates that you should check out, and they also have an entire section of goodies that are perfect for back-t0-school. One of my personal favorites are their genius allergy cards that you can send along with your child so that teachers can have the information they need on hand about what your child can and cannot eat, and what to do if a reaction occurs. Definitely check out their selection for everything from labels to classroom wall art!

Disclosure: TinyPrints is providing a gift card as a thank you for my post. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.