Tag Archives: school supplies

P&G School Supplies

How to Impress Your Child’s Teacher with P&G Household Needs Products

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by P&G as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

When kids hear back-to-school they think about homework and tests.  When parents hear the back-to-school; laundry, filling out paperwork, getting the best teacher, and shopping for school supplies come to mind.

With two kids, 16 and 10-years-old, I’ve had my fair share of back-to-school shopping trips, school registration paperwork, and loads and loads of laundry.  School supply shopping at Costco is one shopping trip my daughter asks to participate in.  She loves picking out colorful pencils and notebooks, and supplies for her teachers.

P&G School Supplies

When choosing supplies for teachers I don’t compromise on quality.  For example, I buy only the best paper towels, Bounty ​Advanced, for teachers, and a couple of years ago began supplying teachers with Swiffer Dusters.  I’ll let you in on a secret; teachers love Swiffer Dusters.  Dust accumulates on bookshelves in your home, right?  Imagine the dust that accumulates on bookshelves and desks in a classroom of 15+ kids!  I can’t tell you how many ‘thank-yous’ I’ve received for sending in Swiffer Dusters.  Swiffer Dusters use thousands of fluffy fibers with Dust Lock Adhesive that traps and locks 3X* more dust than a feather duster on virtually any surface for a great clean (*Common inanimate allergens from cat and dog dander and dust mite matter).

Swiffer Dusters

Can you guess how many paper towels are used in a classroom each day?  I don’t know how many but I’ll take a wild guess.  A bunch!  Dozens and dozens perhaps.  Teachers need GOOD paper towels which is why we give teachers Bounty Advanced paper towels, Bounty’s most absorbent towel* (*vs, National Bounty Select-A-Size).  When poor quality paper towels are used, classroom garbage bins become obnoxiously full.  That’s not fair to the teacher or the students.  Providing your child’s teacher with high quality paper towels ensures students get their hands completely dry before getting back to work and clean up messes on the first try.

Every summer break I tell myself this isn’t going to be the case, but the weekend before school starts is a whirlwind of doing loads and loads of laundry, spot cleaning backpacks, planning lunches, and wiping clean the kids favorite shoes.  To get dingy summer stains out of clothes and to clean new clothes – all clothes for that matter, I rely on Tide Advanced Power and Tide Pods.  I don’t compromise on quality when it comes to laundry detergent.  Tide Advanced Power has advanced whitening technology and color protectors making it Tide’s Best Clean.

Tide Pods

 

Something I didn’t think of until about a year ago is using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to make the whites of the kids sneakers, white again.  What a miracle worker!    Oddly enough, Sebastian and Madelyn aren’t big fans of shoe shopping, thus they wear the same shoes as long as possible.  We all know that after a few months of wear, the whites of shoes are no longer white.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

How to clean your child’s shoes with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:

  • Remove shoelaces if you are going to wipe the entire shoe
  • Wipe the shoes with a damp Bounty Advanced paper towel
  • Dry the shoes
  • Test Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on a small area of the shoe to make sure you get the desired effect
  • Dampen a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (don’t get it too wet)
  • Gently rub on the white of the shoe
  • Let dry
  • Put shoelaces back in shoe
  • Wear a fancy, new-looking sneaker!

 

A checklist: Impress your child’s teacher

  • Put Bounty Advanced paper towels in Mr./Ms. ___________’s school supply bag instead of flimsy generic paper towels.
  • Give Mr./Ms. __________ a Swiffer Duster starter kit and Swiffer Duster refills.
  • Include a package of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers in Mr./Ms. ___________’s supply bag.
  • Toss Febreze Air Effects in the supply bag while you’re at it!
  • Sign up to be a room mom/dad.  This will really impress Mr./Ms. _______________!
  • Join the PTA!

P&G Household Needs products are a huge part of our everyday life and back-to-school prep is no exception!  You can purchase these and other P&G products at Costco.

Anderson Cooper on Regis & Kelly this Friday – He wants your school supply buying and budgeting tips!

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LIVE! with Regis and Kelly are expecting Anderson Cooper to stop by (filling in for Regis.. didn’t Kelly just say she would marry Anderson Cooper if given the chance, a few days ago? Hmm..) this Friday morning. Anderson is covering the current flux in education funding and wants us to help him get advice, secrets, tips to families that need it most!! In anticipation of his arrival we need all you thrifty Mom’s, Dad’s Grandmas and Grandpas to put your heads together for Elementary School children across America!
What are some of the ways you maintain your budget and still send your little ones fully equippedfor school!? What are some training strategies, and lessons you’ve instilled about respect, honesty and safety?

With having a 10 year old son, I have 5 years of elementary school supply buying skills and tips under my belt and I am well aware that the changing economy and rising jobless rates are impacting every part of parents lives from simple grocery buying to health care and one necessity parents of upcoming Kindergartner’s have to think about is school supplies.  School supplies do not only include paper, pencils, crayons, and folders, but parents also have to consider travel expenses, field trip fee’s, clothes, shoes, backpacks, and yes, hair cuts.  All of these add up and all of these are necessary to help your child enjoy and appreciate their education.

What to consider when shopping for your Kindergartner’s school supplies and getting him ready for his first year of elementary school:

  • Buy notebook paper, crayons, and pencils in bulk when you are able to.
  • Character school supplies, clothing, and backpacks are more expensive than solid color clothing and backpacks and can cause conflict between students (you know.. some kids don’t like Batman while others love him!).
  • Talk to your child about why it’s important both socially and environmentally, for him to ride on the bus.
  • Ask your child who he would most like to carpool with so you can schedule carpool days with other parents to save on gas money.

Here are a few tips that I follow when getting my elementary age son ready for a new school year each year:

  • Buy one pack of paper, one pack of pencils, one notebook, and/or one pack of crayons, every week or two during summer vacation. Doing this will ensure that parents who are on a budget aren’t slammed with one big school supply bill right before the new school year begins.
  • I buy folders, pencils, erasers, and paper in bulk whenever I can.
  • Local consignment sales are often held just before school starts are a great place for buying lightly used backpack, school clothes, and shoes.
  • Remind your child how important it is for him to keep his hands clean while at school because not washing hands is a huge factor in spreading illnesses at school and when kids get sick, parents have to spend MONEY to go to the doctor!  Let’s teach our kids to was their hands so our individual health care costs go down!

Store Freebies and Coupons for school supplies

  • Live in a neighborhood with lots of kids? Chances are kids moving up to middle school have left over school supplies such as pencils, notebooks, and other things they didn’t use last year and can’t use in middle school that they would be happy to hand down to your child.
  • Check drug stores and office supply stores for penny sales and free-after-rebate items in July.
  • The Internet is a moms best friend! Visit coupon websites to find coupons for big brands like Bic, Post-It, and more.
  • Almost everyone knows someone who works in an office.. ask your friends who work in an office if they can give your child some paper, notebooks, pens, markers, and highlighters.

Local Church and Government Resources that may provide free and inexpensive school supplies

  • Ask your child’s school system if they have programs that give kids free school supplies.
  • Parents can contact their local United Way and Salvation Army to find out if they offer free school supplies.
  • Many churches collect school supply donations during the year and disperse them to families that need them before the next school year begins.
  • Check with your county school system to learn about their free lunch options for qualifying students.

IT’S YOUR TURN TO SHARE YOUR TIPS!

Share your back-to-school shopping and budget tips with us and with Anderson Cooper.

via Twitter:
@Regis_and_Kelly
@AndersonCooper
@mommyinsider

Share your thrifty back-to-school shopping tips with The Mommy Insider and the world, in the comments below.