Back to School....Yes It Is Only 6 Weeks Away!

After July 4th, I usually start wrapping my brain around the coming school year and with our budget the way it is, it is helpful to plan ahead vs. paying for everything the kids need all at once. I am convinced that this is the "it" style of boy's backpacks for this school year as it is popping up everywhere. I got my eye on this Blue Camo design at the end of last year even though I have not actually seen it in person anywhere. But, I said that I would set out to find this for Isaac's first grade year. The above set is my favorite with the deep blue colors...but of course it is Pottery Barn Kids so that should be of no surprise! However...without the addition of $6 in personalization, this backpack and lunch box combo totals for a whopping $68.00. They offer free shipping (how generous of them I proclaim, as I roll my eyes!) but even with that this is an outrageous price. So...of course my search was on for a similar yet much cheaper version!!

Which led to Oldnavy.com and this messenger bag which is currently onsale for $12.00...a great deal and really cute! However, I do think a 6 year old is a bit too young yet for a shoulder bag...so my search continued for the backpack.

I came across this one at llbean.com but I was not really a fan of the print. OR the print on this one at hannahanderson.com. Nope. But can you see what I am saying about the popularity of this Blue Camo design? :)

So then there was this one which I love at landsend.com on sale for $27.50. Not bad...but by the time you pay for shipping....eh...I wanted to do better.

And finally...I found the mother of ALL deals at CompanyKids. Both the backpack and the lunch box can be found in the Clearance section for 60% off. Then I found a coupon code for free shipping...bonus! So I sprung for the personalization on the backpack for $6 and that brought my total for the set to a grand total of..... $27.98!

Hooray!! This means that with this set, and Vivi's black and white polka dot backpack/zebra lunchbox she got for her birthday...I am ahead of the game for the start of the new school year. All I need is a new backpack for J, the boys' school supplies and back to school teacher gifts...and we are ALL set for August 22nd. I even found some new school shoes for Viv today for $4 that were originally $14. I will be posting more Back To School in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!