30 Days to Go:
Navigating My First
Back-to-School Season
One mom’s real thoughts, lessons,
and budget-friendly tips
before preschool begins.
30 Days Before School Starts
There are officially 30 days before school starts, and my mind is everywhere. I’m feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and honestly, experiencing high anxiety thinking about my son going to school for the first time as an almost 3-year-old.
In the future, his school status will be Pre-School, and I want to make sure he’s ready—not just academically, but socially and emotionally too.
Preparing Him for More Than ABCs
Before school begins, I’ve been trying to teach him social skills so he doesn’t feel behind or out of place. We practice sharing, taking turns, saying “please” and “thank you,” and even how to handle big feelings. I want him to walk into that classroom feeling confident, not confused.
But as a first-time parent, I’m not entirely sure how to plan for this milestone. There’s so much advice out there, and it can be hard to know what’s real and what’s just noise.
The Overwhelming List
So naturally, I did what any overthinking parent would do: I made a list of everything I thought he might need.
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Unmentionables
- Pencils
- Pens (Do preschoolers even use pens?)
- Highlighters
- Sticky notes
- Binders
- Dividers
- Backbag
- Waterbottle / Hydroflask
- Hand sanitizer
- Laptop
After a 15-minute break of tidying the room, I started to laugh at myself. My son doesn’t need pens, a laptop, binders, highlighters, sticky notes, dividers, or even hand sanitizer (the school provides that!). I was overwhelming myself with unnecessary things.
What he really needs is simple: clothes, shoes, and love.
The Reality of Toddler Life
I mostly thought about the clothes and shoes. I realized that brand names or character clothes and shoes might come at a cost. My son is high energy and always on the move, which means I know we’ll go through multiple pairs of shoes this school year.
I bought him some nice loafers from Kohl’s for a party. We shopped for 30 minutes, which felt like hours. I had to bribe my son with future cake pops just so I could get him to try the shoes on.
At the party, we were there for 4 hours. The next morning, I saw those same new shoes—and the front of both were scratched and ruined from heavy horseplay with his cousins.
That moment hit me hard. With his energy, some nice shoes might only last me a day. More money spent. Lesson learned.
The Millennial Mindset Shift
As a millennial, I check my Credit Karma every month, hoping to see those points go up. The last thing I want to do is lower my credit score.
Now that I’m a parent, my era of being financially irresponsible is over. I need to budget. I need to find smart ways to get more cash without hurting my future.
DIY projects, shopping sales, using coupons, and buying secondhand are now my top priorities. I want my son to have what he needs without putting us in debt.
Back-to-school season is more than shopping—it’s about preparing our hearts,
minds, and finances for the journey ahead. We’ve got this, parents.
One budget, one lesson, one day at a time.