Back-to-School Clothes
Posted by Sherry McGregor on 04 Aug 2009 | Posted in: Teachers and Teaching
When I was teaching, shopping for back-to-school clothes was an all-in-the-family event. My husband and I were both teaching, and our daughters, Cari and Mandy, just kept growing. So, when fall rolled around, everyone in the family needed new clothes and shoes! Because our small town had just a few stores, we drove two hours to the nearest mall and made a day of it—a full day! We treated ourselves to lunch and snacks in the food court and inevitably stayed until the mall closed. Whew! Our girls are older now and do most of their shopping on their own, but Mark still needs to freshen up his back-to-school wardrobe, and I just might need a pair of shoes! So, this weekend, we’re headed to the mall!
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I love shopping for new clothes for me to start school in too. That and new supplies. Just like as a kid I used to spend time in front of the mirror trying on new clothes to pick out what I would wear the first day of school. Here I am decades later doing the same thing.
When my husband became an AIG “victim” we discovered the local GOODWILL shop. Because we live in a nice area the labels are just incredible! I am the lucky Mom of four daughters and when all pants are just $4.95 you can’t help but tell them to have a good time in the store! Two weeks ago I GRABBED a beautiful winter wool suit, Talbot’s Brand, for $9.95. OK, so it wasn’t this season but who cares as long as I look professional and feel great doing it? NOW we make a challenge out of it to see who can get the best bargains…the silk Ann Taylor suit I got last month still wins at $4.50 because it was marked down on that particular day…check out you local shop, you might be pleasantly surprised! I sure was!!!
My favorite back to school shopping has always been the school/office supplies! For some reason every year I always feel like I need new colored pens, post-it notes and markers
Sherry, it sounds like you developed a nice back to school tradition with your family which is really what everyone remembers after a few years.
Back-to-school shopping has always been fun for me. Growing up in Michigan, my mother always made sure we got clothes that would last through the cold winter. Unfortunately, that meant that when school started we could not wear many of our new clothes because it was still warm. I now look forward to buying school clothes for myself and my boys. I do make sure they have some things to wear now because it will be awhile before it gets cool in Georgia.
I remember in Jr high & high school, my parents allowed us to spend a certain amount, usually around $75. My Mom was always a bargain shopper, so I was too. I always tried to make that money go as far as I could. I remeber being so thrilled to find jeans for $6!!! Unfortunately, prices have gone up and I am still disappointed I can’t find jeans, even for my kids (8 & 5) for $^ anymore!:)
One of my happiest memories is the summer before I started Jr. High. My family was visiting my grandparents in Oregon and while we were there my mom (a teacher) and I went to a big mall in Salem and bought all of our back to school clothes. This was a huge treat as we usually just bought a few things here and there when needed, but not that year! It was so fun! Now that I am a teacher and I have all boys who would rather shop on-line, I usually just end up trying to shop out of season to save some money.
When I was growing up my mother made the majority of my school clothes, so July and Aug. were months of “Try this on” and lots of straight pins! I’m afraid I was never as appreciative of those outfits as I should have been. I NOW realize how tough financially it was for my parents and I see that the clothing in my school pictures was every bit as good as all the “store bought” clothes my friends wore. I’ve taught for years and my children are all grown, but I must admit that each fall when I pay for new clothes to teach in, I appreciate my mother a little more each year!
I have 3 boys ages 14, 9 and 5. This year, my youngest is starting Kindergarten and he is SO excited to be included, finally in the “Back To School” ritual! We generally wait until the weekend before school begins to search thru the Sunday ads, and they circle the clothing they each like. Then, we make a fun day of shopping and go to a couple of stores, then eat lunch, go shoe shopping and then finally haircuts! Our day is complete, the kids are excited and ready to put their best foot forward on the 1st day of school! Oh, and being the “Scrapbooking Mama” that I am, I always let them pick out their favorite “new” outfit, and I take pictures before we leave the house, and at school…fond memories in the making!
In the 40’s my grandmother worked for Kaufmann’s - a now-owned-by-Macy’s department store in Pittsburgh. They knew their customers so well that the “girls” (and you had to climb up the corporate ladder from “wrapper” to “clerk” to “buyer”, etc) used to call customers when items came in that they thought the customer would appreciate. Or they’d send the clothes (”mix-ups”) out to the customer, who would in turn buy the clothes, or send them back! IMAGINE! But my grandma always used to say, with much disdain in her voice, “You could always tell those teachers when they came in!” Apparently “those teachers” didn’t dress “to the nines” as expected!
I attended private school, so back-to-school shopping was actually uniform fittings — UGH! But I’m heading back to the classroom after a 4-year hiatus, and I hit the mall last weekend for new teacher clothes. Grandma would be happy to know many of my purchases were from Macy’s (during the Georgia tax-free holiday).
I love the memories of back to school clothes shopping. When I was in elementary school, my mom always dressed me in her favorite new outfit (always old-fashioned) and took a picture of me the first morning. It was cheesy, but always made it just that more important and exciting
I still get excited when August rolls around. When my children were little we used to make the day of it and shop for a “September ” wardrobe. Now that my children are grown they STILL go shopping for their clothes as they are both teachers,too!
I use to love going with my mom out of town for back to school shopping. I too lived in a small town and we would have to drive an hour to go to the “big city”. Now I have 3 boys and as someone previously mentioned, boys don’t really like to shop. I take them to get shoes since they have to try them on but otherwise I just pick up things here and there that I hope they will like.
I love back to school shopping. I have fond memories of when I was a child and my parents would drive us to a nearby town to get a few items. It was about the only time we got something that was not a hand me down.
it is still very hot in cyprus so fall clothes are out of the question for the first 2 months. my boys wear a uniform so we will shop for our school pants at the end of the month as they are still growing. as for me i always make sure i pick up some casual stuff for preschool during the sales.
I loved back-to-school clothes/shoe shopping as a kid, and I still love it today! It’s fun to shop all the sales, and tax-free week helps. I’m lucky enough to live near a mall, two outlet malls, and other free-standing retail stores, so I have plenty of choices as to where I shop.
I always liked back-to-school shopping! My sister and I have birthdays in September so when it came to shopping for back-to-school clothes we seemed to get quite a bit thanks to our birthdays helping to justify the items being bought. Now that I am a teacher, I still make the most of having a birthday in September and being able to justify buying new clothes to enjoy for the first days of school!
I remembered going shopping with my folks when I was in high school. Now I have four school children of my own..and because they all attend a private school that requires uniforms, they don’t much look forward to shopping. We do shop for new shoes and some outfits that they can wear for free dress days. I also live in a small town that does not offer any other stores than Kmart and Walmart…so we go out of town to the nearest mall. I am so glad for the internet. You can do your shopping right at home without having to drive anywhere and you can stay in your jammies!
I love back to school shopping! For my kiddo’s I stick with uniform basics and jazz them up with a bit of color/pattern. It’s so much easier to get ready in the morning when everything matches!!! I find the “uniform” idea works well for me too.
We had an awesome event today with our Moms group from the MomsLikeMe.com website in Tampa, FL. We planned a back-to-school clothing swap at an indoor bouncy place. Each participants brought gently-used clothing and shoes. They were set out on tables by sizes and then all the Moms went “shopping” while the children played on the bouncy houses, slides, and the video games. It was awesome! And all the “new” outfits and shoes for school were FREE! It was a weonderful playdate and a much more relaxed way to “shop” than the crowded malls!
Love the tax free weekend VA does now.
Back to school shopping is not a favorite for my boys. Picking out shoes is okay, but clothes, no way! I do get a little bummed that the fall clothes are already out for “back to school”. Even though we start after Labor Day, out weather is still in the 80’s and could reach 90. I live in MI so I encourage parents to dress their child in shorts when school starts. The classroom is hot, being outside is hot, so those fall clothes can wait. For me, it’s fun too. I use to make sure I had something new, but now it’s not as important. If I find a great buy, you bet I’ll take it. I like the idea of “tax free” shopping. How do you find out if your state or area has it?
I love to take my girls school shopping because they are so excited about getting new clothes. I had taken them out this past weekend for some supplies and they were excited about that also. But it can also be a frustrating time when you cannot find your children’s sizes very easily. But I will do anything to please my girls and help with their education. The clothes are not whats important but education is. Thank you to all teachers out there.
When it was time for back-to-school shopping my children got so excited. They all knew just what they wanted. Shoes, shirts, dresses. I also enjoyed that time of the year. It was a time that everyone went and enjoyed the time we had together not to mention all the new things we came home with to try on, and to decide what we would wear for the first day of school!!!!
Our family is looking forward to taking advantage of TN’s tax-free weekend coming up! We’re hoping the crowded stores will be worth the savings. We’ve got a 1st and a 3rd grader to buy clothes, shoes and supplies for!
It is interesting how things change. Instead of my kids saying are you going to wear that, it is my grandkids. They are trying to keep me from looking like a grandma and the old styles-that I like. They did a good job of keeping a person young. Just like my students with the latest programs, fads and toys.
I love back to school shopping! With my kids we do it in 2 parts. I always get them new shoes and new shirts to start out the year. Since they still wear shorts for the first month of school we hold off on pants and fall clothes until end Sept. that way I get more on sale and they get more clothes.
I am a big fan of consignment shops. My girls loved it because even on our limited income I was able to purchase them a new school wardrobe every year.
Back to school sales were so exciting as a child then when my children were going to school. Now I shop with my granddaughter!
I will be looking for something to freshen up my look alittle this year also.
Of course there are always the basic teacher stuff that needs to replenished too. I enjoy finding bargins on name tags and little things for the classroom.
My kids love back to school shopping! I however am not a big fan of shopping and trying on clothes. I am going to try to shop “out of the box” this year and buy things other than khaki pants and the same shirt in six different colors!
Yes, there’s nothing like a new outfit to make you feel like you’ve re-invented yourself! It’s exciting to see all the kids trickling into school the first day. The “younguns” are bounding with energy. The older ones … well … they’re just too cool for their own good!
I can hardly believe school is right around the corner … in some places, like in AZ, school is already in session!
My family loves back to school clothes shopping…in fact we are already done:) My husband wears a uniform to work so we usually make it a girls time out. My girls also love to go with their grandmas and get treated to lunch too. It’s so much fun!
Be sure to check into your community to see if they are having any “tax-free”, back-to-school” sales. Fortunately/unfortunately, my son is grown and graduated from the university so I can take advantage of these sales; (they never happened back then, when he was smaller.)
Shopping for school continues to be one of our favorite traditions. It’s always a symbol of a fresh beginning (more so than New Years)and back in the day we tended to use it as a chance to “recreate” ourselves. We would be someone new this year, do new things, and have new adventures. I still feel that way, and enjoy the opportunity to recreate my classroom and prepare for all those new adventures I will have with my fifth graders. This year I also have a fifth grader of my own (how did she grow up so fast???), and it has been a thrill to share this time of preparation with her.
Shopping is always fun but back to school was the best. My children now grown loved going out and picking out clothes. I usually didn’t have trouble with the boys but my daughter and I always had different opinions on clothes.Being a teacher, I had to have clothes also and of course my daughter would always say “Mom you need to do better you always pick out the same things”
I’ll definitely be doing some shoe shopping for the fall. All my teacher basics were recently ruined! My brown boots, black boots, black flats, and black heels were in a corner of the closet and were infested with mold! Ewww!
Also, I recommend The Limited for dress pants. They are a little pricey, but look for sales, their teacher discount, and the clearance rack. Their pants hold up well for years, and I just found a great pair of dressy bermudas on clearance for $14! I am also a fan of Old Navy.
I used to love back to school shopping! I have 2 sisters, so we would always try and get things we could share. Unfortunately for my big sis, it never seemed to work in her favor! We could wear her stuff, but she normally couldn’t wear ours!
I too love the back to school shopping! I think everyone can benefit from a new shirt or two. This year I am still losing that dreaded baby weight so new clothes are a must have. But the first day with students always goes a little better with a new pair of shoes on my feet!