It's That Time Again! Back To School 101

That 1st day of school is one of the most exciting & nerve-wrecking...especially when your moving away to college...& even worse when you have to cough up the big bucks!



Many people and families struggle with how to cope with all of the changes.



Advice for students



Start fresh. If you haven’t scheduled it yet, go and get the kids or yourself a fresh haircut. Do a lil' back to school shopping.....new clothes always make a person feel good.



But your first day of school can be super nerve wrecking right?



For students who are experiencing some uneasiness about going off to this whole new mysterious world that is college, Cristiana Quinn advises them not to build it up so much in their head and give the changes some time to set in.

“Understand that freshman year is a huge adjustment with new friends, personal responsibility, and academics,"

she says.

"Be patient and don’t expect everything to be comfortable or perfect.”

A great way to make yourself comfortable and meet people is to get involved.

“Avail yourself of all the resources at school,"

Quinn says to enroll in school activities to meet new friends too,

"Join at least two clubs and visit the academic support center to understand what services are offered that you may need down the road.”

Advice for parents



One of the most important things that a parent can do is give their child a little bit of air to breathe. Remember that as much as you love them, they are transitioning into adulthood and they need their own space to do that.



Tips To Save Money



The National Retail Federation reports that families with children in grades K-12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, within a few dollars of last year’s $606.40 average. Total spending on grades K-12 is expected to reach an impressive $22.8 billion.



So how can YOU save money?



If your a parent struggling to make ends meet this year, there are plenty of pantries out there offering free lunch for your children. Here is one in Central Florida.



And if your a college student paying your own bills. Books is where you can save quit a few bucks. Look into buying used books or go online and try and find a better price your school is selling it for. They even have "online e-books" to rent whatever text book you need - here.



Take stock of what you have. Before you take the school supply list to the store, take stock of what you already have. No need to buy new when you already have perfectly good ones at home.



And if you need to organize better...you can do it all from from your phone with "Wunderlist" - an easy-to-use task management tool that works on Mac, Windows, iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, Android and the Web. You can check it out here.