Our Favorite Tips to Banish Back to School Shopping Stress


This post is brought to you by Fruit of the Loom. All opinions are our own.

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Back to school season is such a bittersweet time for me. On the one hand, I’m so sad that summer is coming to an end. I’ll miss the freedom of waking up late, jumping in the car for a spontaneous road trip and just hanging out with the kids at the pool. On the other hand, I have to admit that I’ll be happy to have some semblance of order restored to our lives!

You know what else is bittersweet? Back to school shopping! While it’s fun for my daughter to pick out new clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes and all the other stuff that she’ll need to start the school year, it’s also a bit stressful and hectic, especially when your child is very particular about certain things! Take clothing, for example. My daughter is very picky about her clothing and how it feels on her body.  She absolutely cannot stand the feeling of tags. Whenever we buy new clothes, we need to immediately cut them out.

We also moved recently, so not only are we dealing with the normal stress of back to school shopping, but the added emotions of going to a new school and meeting new friends. I want to make sure she has everything she needs to feel comfortable and confident.  This year more than ever I am thankful for the little things that make shopping that much easier.

Tips to Minimize Back to School Stress 

I am far from a seasoned mom of back to school shopping. My daughter is only going into second grade this year. Still, I’ve already learned a couple of tricks that help minimize back to school shopping stress. Check them out!

Dealing with the List 

This is a big one.  Chances are you received a list of items that you have to purchase for your child to bring on the first day of school.  When I was a kid, our lists were small, and pertained to just the things we would need to be successful.  Looking at what my daughter has to bring on the first day of school I start to think ‘What in the world is she going to do with 2 boxes of sharpened number 2 pencils?’  You can only use one at a time right?

Here is a little tip: you do not have to purchase everything on the list.  This advice was passed on to me from my teacher friends.  The list is a guide.  It is a list of what the needs are of the classroom.  It is meant to help offset the out-of-pocket cost to the teacher.  Once I heard it was a guideline, I was a little relieved! As much as I want to help out the teachers, knowing that I don’t need to have 700 boxes of crayons on the first day definitely helps relieve my budget worries!

The Clothes 

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This was my favorite part of back to school shopping!  We used to hang my new clothes in my closet and it was like they were taunting me until I could finally wear them on the first day of school.  With new clothes, I always got (and get my daughter) new socks, a few new hair things and, of course, some new underwear.

When we get to the underwear section, Fruit of the Loom is always my choice.  Not only because we have discovered they are tagless (remember I said I have to remove all tags from her clothing?) but they are a good quality and price as well! That’s a big bonus for me and my back to school shopping budget! They’re one of the most trusted names in underwear for a reason! Find your +3 Bonus packs in your local Walmart or Target.

Less Stress with the Fruit of the Loom Bonus Pack

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Fruit of the Loom is even going the extra mile to alleviate stress by offering a Bonus Bonus contest this season! Yes, you read that right! It’s a bonus on top of a bonus! In addition to the extras they already add to their bonus packs, you may also have the chance to win amazing prizes like 1 months’ worth of Hello Fresh prepackaged meals, AMC Theater gift certificates, massages, dinner certificates and beauty box subscriptions!  Basically, all the things that make your life easier!

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Fruit of the Loom sent me one of their awesome Bonus prizes to try: meals from Hello Fresh! If you haven’t heard of them, they deliver everything you need to make gourmet meals right to your door.

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I do mean everything! Those boxes had all the veggies, condiments, pasta, and so on to make things like Spicy Shrimp, One Pot Chicken Alfredo and Szechuan Beef. Those will definitely come in handy this week when I’m rushing around trying to get things done!

How to Enter the Fruit of the Loom Bonus Bonus Contest

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Want a chance to snag one of these great prizes for yourself? Here’s how to do it!

(1)   Follow @FruitOfTheLoom on Twitter or Instagram;

(2)   Tweet or Post a photograph of any Fruit of the Loom® underwear product and/or package, opened or unopened, along with a caption telling your most humorous stress-related story from the back to school shopping season; and

(3)   Include the hashtag #BonusBonusContest.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older. Enter by 11:59 p.m. ET 8/14/16.  For Official Rules, including prize descriptions and how to enter without purchase, visit http://bit.ly/29M9wo9. Void where prohibited.

Back to school is a stressful enough time of year, anything that I have learned in my short time of doing back to school shopping that could be helpful to another parent, I want to pass on!  I am all about money saving and stress reducing tips, especially when it comes to this time of year.  Don’t forget, you can find Fruit of the Loom Bonus Packs in your local Walmart or Target!

Do you have any stress relieving tips when it comes to back to school shopping?  Share with us in the comment section below!

31 thoughts on “Our Favorite Tips to Banish Back to School Shopping Stress”

  1. I am very grateful for your efforts put on this report.
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    Dinesen Henneberg

  2. School supplies are the worst! Our PTA works with a company that sells all the needed supplies in a pack and then you pick it up during the open house before school starts. So easy and worth the few extra bucks it might cost.

  3. Ann Bacciaglia

    These are great tips. I have two kids in College this year to get ready for school. One is moving seven hours away.

  4. Back to school shopping can be overwhelming! I try to take kids out separately so it feels significant and I don’t get pulled in three different directions.

  5. Back to school should not be about purchasing new clothes and getting a new backpack each year. It needs to become about learning new concepts and appreciating the opportunity to return to a building with a roof over it. This very commercialized society(country) has its focus on the wrong things and most people buy into the idea of wearing the “right” outfit or having the latest style in backpacks, for shame, use what you already have show your kids how to survive with what they need not what they want and yes wearing tags on your clothes isn’t the end of the world you can always cut those off that’s not the end of the world either.
    As an educator myself and a solo parent of four, the supply list made is with the whole year in mind but if you all have the same thought that we don’t need those things right away your wrong, most of you will forget to bring those things later in the year because Christmas is around the corner etc, and yes pencils do break it disappear but mainly get used up because they practicing math and writing and making science.
    Teachers can’t afford be purchasing supplies for your baby because they have babies of their own that need food or a house to live in and it’s wrong and shameful to assume they should.
    A better plan is buy clothing and school items throughout the year don’t wait for that one week rush to purchases it all. And instead of that fabulous latest bag and all those new clothing items purchase the list of school supplies to show the importance of preparing for your education and then as the year goes by purchase the bag, clothes or shoes as rewards for doing good in school.
    Respectfully
    Hevila Ramos, BS Science, MA in Ed Admin

  6. This year I have 5 heading back to school so it will be a little stressful for me, but I always find it SO MUCH FUN getting them new things and getting them excited to head back!

  7. We always get a pack of Fruit of the Loom underpants and socks for back to school each year. My girls always look forward to their new undergarments in addition to the rest of the new clothes and supplies they’ll get.

  8. It’s always a good idea to start your back to school shopping early! That way you avoid the stress of hoping you can find everything you need!

  9. I used to love back to school shopping as a kid! It always made it a little easier to have to go back to school, but I never thought about how stressful it can be for parents!

  10. We could all use a little less stress! When I had to shop for supplies when my oldest was in school it was stressful because we wouldn’t get the list of what was needed until after school started and the store shelves were bare.

  11. It’s great that you can have these experiences with your daughter, but please remember that there are many families and many children that cannot afford the luxury of buying new school clothes, etc. They wear hand me downs and rely on school supplies from last year or ones from an older sibling.

    Maybe, as part of your routine, you could involve your daughter in either finding somewhere to donate a “back to school” gift card from Walmart, etc. to a needy child, or at least participate in one of the many back pack/school supply drives hosted by many local stores. Then your daughter will not only have her new things for school, but maybe an even greater empathy for others who might not be as fortunate as she is.

  12. Such Great Tips I Can REALLY REALLY Use Right Now Love The Fruit Of The Loom Undies I Buy For My Girls All The Time, Thank You For Sharing!

  13. Pam Wattenbarger

    What a great contest. Back to school can be stressful so I am all about anything that can make it easier.

  14. Robin Masshole Mommy

    Thanks fo the tips. I am actually all ready this year and my kids don’t go back for 5 more weeks.

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