Ahhh yes back to school shopping, it can be either a chore or a blast. As a single mother of four children ages 14, 11, and two 6-year-olds it used to be a dreadful time of year for me. That is, until I discussed it with other mothers who have gone through the same situation. The older the child the harder it is to shop on a budget. We all can remember wanting to keep up with the current trends and what our friends are wearing.

Purchases for my younger children are easy, my oldest son loves all athletic gear and the twins are fairly simple as well. Kelsie (6yr old) wants anything pink and girly, but she wants to wear it all while she rocks any one of her large variety of tennis shoes. Connor (also 6) is all about button up shirts, jeans and pants with pockets to carry his stuff in– anything from sunglasses to sticks he finds on the playground. Connor also has an obsession with accessories, every day he is sporting a fedora, a newsboy, Kal cap, a tie and some sort of watch or bracelet that he “borrowed” out of my jewelry box.

My oldest, Kalli, is a freshman in high school this year. As a freshman we think that’s a clean slate, time to pull out the big guns and make that first impression count. I decided to take a new approach when it came to shopping for her daily ensemble. After much conversation with friends of mine and articles I’ve read locally I made the decision to shop at local resale shops and let her see how it is.

We did go to the mall and make purchases and other little boutique shops. But after visiting these places I was unaware of found myself thoroughly enjoying it for me too eventually. These local gems are, I feel, the best places to pick up all accessories a girl could ever want! Anything from little clutch purses , scarves, jewelry, jackets etc.  Not only did I introduce my teenage daughter to these places I fell in love too! After all how many of us women, probably all of us, have made hundreds of purchases and only worn them just once or twice leaving whatever it is to collect dust and never to be used again. Recycle everything if we can. A famous quote comes to mind and makes all of the sense in the world. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”