Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The first day of school


Tomorrow marks a big day in my little boy's life. It's his first day of 1st grade. He was so excited tonight that he went to bed without any challenges and is now sweetly sleeping with a smile on his face.

I'm feeling butterflies for him. Will the teacher see the brilliant inquisitive loving boy that I know? Will the other kids be as excited to see him as he is to see them? Will my little by hold it against me that I couldn't give him everything he wanted for the first day of school? I'm hoping that it will all be okay.

For the start of kindergarten we took Jasper shopping. He got a new backpack, clothes, and shoes. This year our budget has changed and there were some rather tight restrictions on what we could afford. First, we decided that he didn't need a new backpack, last years was in good shape and he still loves it. That left us with a budget of $30 for new clothes and shoes, and after a busy summer of growth spurts he desperately needed both. So I packed up my pride and headed for the secondhand stores.

Thrift stores opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I found name brand clothes with department store tags still on them, and I even found a pair of designer jeans for myself for $9.99 (focus! focus! we're not here for me!!). So, at the thrift store we found 4 shirts and a sweatshirt for $7.50. We can also feel environmentally savvy for buying clothes that others couldn't use. Next stop was hitting the sales, where we found 2 cool pairs of jeans for $16. Last was trying to find a pair of shoes for $6.50... that he would want to wear. That's when grandma surprised us in a huge way. She generously sent Jasper new shoes, shirts, and pants (Thanks Grandma!). All of a sudden Jasper has a very cool environmentally friendly wardrobe to start school with. I have $6.50 to put towards a cute pair of jeans that I have my eye on.

I'm sad that I wasn't able to buy my big guy the new Seahawks sweatshirt that he wants, but I'm super excited that I was able to make a little into a lot, and in the process be a good example for him. Tomorrow he will start going to school all day long, and I will miss him. It will be hard to drop him off, but the good news is that I know he'll be well dressed, I'll still be on budget, and most importantly we've both grown up a little. I can't wait to pick him up, and see that same sweet smile.

2 comments:

  1. I've gotta get my butt to the thrift store. I just spent $79 on a pair of jeans at costco:(

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  2. This is so sweet....I wish you were my mom!

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