Ahhhhh…back to school.
I think of it with such fondness. Not just because I am anxious to deposit three boys on the school steps at 8:00 am, but because I always LOVED the back to school season.
It ranked up there with Christmas because it included seeing my friends on a daily basis, purchasing new school supplies and picking out that first day outfit.
In Kindergarten I had the perfect outfit. It was a Hawaiian jumper that my grandparents had brought back from a trip. The colors included red, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink, violet, yellow, beige and white. I had grown out of the jumper, but it worked perfectly well as a long top over a pair of pants.
I literally NEVER lost a game of Red Rover while wearing it. It is a record that probably stands
to this day in that small Michigan town.
It went really well with my Holly Hobbie lunchbox.
Oh, that lunchbox was heaven. It was tin with blue gingham decoration all around the perimeter framing a sweet picture of Holly Hobbie holding a bouquet of flowers. I had never owned something so amazing in my whole life. Every lunch was a treat no matter what the box held. My closest Kindergarten friend would sit next to me at long picnic benches set up in the school’s gymnasium with her white vinyl Donnie & Marie box. We couldn’t possibly have been any cooler.
I remember that our Kindergarten set up a
grocery store in our classroom for a month. We all brought empty food containers from home to “buy” and “sell”. Bookshelves were fashioned into commerce and plastic coins held real buying power.
Then there was the day we made Stone Soup. What a magical day. Each of us brought ingredients to improve the Stone flavor. I was in charge of providing the carrots. When the teacher was done cooking the Stone, the soup was the best thing we had ever tasted. A roomful of Kindergartners willingly ate a day’s serving of vegetables.
I think the bottom line of all this is simple. The things I remember from Kindergarten today {34 years later} is a favorite outfit that was several years old and modified for my wear, a special lunchbox and two activities my teacher created out of things we had at home.
All of these, except the lunchbox, were free.
The lunchbox was a big purchase. It was something that I had seen and dreamed about for months. When it was finally mine, I realized it’s value and treated it with extreme care.
My money saving advice for back to school is focus on what will be remembered. Save money on things that are fleeting and don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on something that will become a childhood memory.
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Want to exchange more tips and ideas with other moms about back to school topics such as healthy snacks, school supplies and saving money? Visit the Horizon ® Healthily Families Back to School Community!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Horizon Organic brand.
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