Summer vacation is winding down and school days are coming fast. Most of us have lists coming for all of the things our family needs and we want to save money on school supplies. Whether you have a kindergartner starting school for the first time or a teen headed off to college, the list of back to school supplies is dizzying and expensive. Inflation is taking its toll too, so here is a way to save money on back to school items you need.
One way to get what you need is to trade what you have for an item you may need. I know I have a lifetime supply of Ticonderoga #2’s that I would gladly get them the right hands and perfectly good clothing that is almost like new. Donations to charitable groups are good but according to https://greenamerica.org, over 62% of clothing ends up in the landfill.
Here is a quick activity to trade for what you need and have some fun doing it.
The KeiKi Co-Op
Keiki is a child in Hawaiian and it I like the idea of Aloha Spirit bringing everyone together in a cooperative spirit.
Connect with your friends from school, clubs, teams, scouts or any group or tribe you belong to and Co-Op for what you need. You may have visited a food co-Op at some time and there are a number of different styles co-op. They share common values for group management and social responsibility.
You don’t have to limit your KeiKi to school supplies. You can bring toys your child is tired of, clothing, books, uniforms and accessories like backpacks too. It also works great for teens heading away to college by repurposing dorm room essentials such as mini fridges collecting dust in the garage, closet organizers and desk accessories. What I like is that this co-op activity also helps the planet and fits in great with six of the sustainability R’s.
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Repurpose
- Recycle
- Renew
GATHER YOUR GROUP
Check in with or friends or groups. It could be your neighborhood, church, club, team, or any community you are part of.
PICK A PLACE TO SWAP YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES
A park, a home, a meeting room can all be great venues for your Co-Op
PICK A DAY and TIME
Think of who your group is.
If there are working parents make the event in the evening or on the weekend.
Can you tie in the Co-Op with a club meeting or other event? If there are lots of younger children, an older sibling or grandparent can help with childcare for those too young to take part.
SEND OUT THE INVITES
Social media tools in Circle, Facebook and Instagram help you create a group to share out the event. Other tools like https://www.evite.com/, greenenvelope.com or https://www.punchbowl.com/adios-evite are free and work great for sending out invites.
GET THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES YOU NEED
Shop your own drawers, cabinets and kids’ closets for great items that are ready to be repurposed, can be renewed, or repaired.
Ideas for making the swap work to save money on the back to school items you need.
- You can just be free and not worry about relative value, bask in the happiness that the item has new life in a new home.
- Decide on a way to value items such as a simple method using a size like small, medium and large. This is a method used in job estimating for relative effort.
- Let kids use price tags and give everyone a budget of paper money to spend. This can be used for snacks too. Put a young person in charge of the bank, the cash register and even writing out a receipt. These reading, writing and math skills will get a great refresh.
Check out https://thecleanerplanetplaybook.com/#services for more ideas.
