This Guest Post was written and submitted by Amrita Singh (aka: Frugalista)
Wanna know the truth? I’m not a Mom. So when Brighter Life (a website focused on sharing ideas about money, health and family) asked me to theme my Frugalista video around back-to-school shopping, I was nervous. How can someone with no kids begin to understand the pressure and anxiety that parents go through when September rolls around? Thankfully, I have a lot of Mom-friends and I’m also an Aunt to two beautiful nieces and one studly nephew.
After reaching out to people in my circle it became clearer how to apply my frugal ways to some common back-to-school dilemmas. That’s when TASKS started to take shape.
Take inventory of what you have. Assess your needs.
Avoid buying snacks from the store. Make your own for cheap.
Shop the sales!
Know how to stretch your bulk buys.
Swap items.
The next challenge? Filming a video with kids, cameras, lights, and a busy Mom! Now the camera and lights I’m pretty used to — but three kids on top of it all?!?! Luckily, there couldn’t have been a better family to work with. Johanna and her children are so lovely. It took a while for Charlie and Claire to get used to me and the reality of a “film shoot” in their living room. But eventually they forgot the cameras were there and started acting like the curious and rambunctious kids that they are!
Sadly, one of the best moments with them ended up on the edit room floor. Typical! We gave some old pens and pencils a new life by taping pretty strips of paper around the tops. Both Charlie and Claire loved doing this and repeatedly asked if they were allowed to keep the finished products for themselves. Isn’t it amazing how the simplest craft can keep kids occupied and invested? I love it when that happens.
We also had a lot of fun in the kitchen whipping up the granola bars. It’s always a challenge to present frugal tips in ways that are relatable and practical…that’s why I absolutely love including MYO (Make Your Own) Moments. During the baking process, Charlie almost ate us out of chocolate chips! And, Johanna and Claire went a little light on the honey. Despite all of that, plus being over-baked, the kids liked the bars so we were all happy. How great is it when kids enjoy something you’ve made for them?
All in all we spent about five hours together that sunny morning in August. I caught a plane the very next day to go spend time with my nieces and nephew in California. And yes, I ended up helping them with some back-to-school shopping while I was there.
I’d like to thank Amanda from Multi-Testing Mommy for inviting me to share some behind-the-scenes moments from this Frugalista shoot. I truly hope some of the ideas shared in the video help parents save a bit of money this time of year.
This is a guest post. See MTM’s Disclosure for more details.
