10 Things to Have Prepared Before School Starts

Back to School Preparation for Parents

School can be a crazy time. When it comes to staying organized and on top of things, it only takes one bad day for it all to fall apart. Whether you’ve overslept or forgot to pack your kids’ lunch, something small like this can turn a back to school day into chaos!

Instead of running around like a madwoman during back to school season, here are 10 things to have prepared before school even starts! If you follow these back to school preparation tips, those first days of school should go a lot more smoothly!

1. Do your back to school shopping

Don’t wait until after the first day of school to start your back to school shopping. Start buying school supplies and even clothes as soon as the sales start. For bigger savings, check out my tips and tricks to find the best back to school deals!

Oh, and if you want to save some time shopping, make sure to check out our list of back to school apps for parents. We mention some great apps in that post that will help you shop for school supplies without having to go into any stores!

2. Take advantage of sales on school necessities

This isn’t just for school supplies. Peanut butter that you use for sandwiches and even small snacks go on sale during this season. Stock up on items when they are on sale!

P.S. If you want to stay updated on the BEST back to school deals, sign up for our price watch list!

3. Create a homework station for your kids

Create a homework station now so that you’ll be ready when the huge piles of homework come through the door. Having a homework station is great because it’s a place where your children will feel focused and have no distractions.

4. Pack your backpacks early

Don’t wait until the night before to start packing backpacks! Go ahead and clean them out from last year and start packing them for the first day of school.

5. Give your home a good clean

Take this time to get your house in order. Clean up the house and get things organized. This way you are starting with a clean slate for the school year.

If you want to know what I do to clean my house (and keep it that way) check out these 7 house cleaning tips and tricks. Also, for quick cleans here and there, check out these speed cleaning tips.

6. Book and schedule any last-minute appointments

It can be hard to schedule appointments around your kids’ schedules. Instead, go ahead and try and sneak them in over the summer so you aren’t running around the entire school year.

7. Make some freezer meals for busy nights

Image Source: Fresh N Lean Meal Prep Guide

While things are relaxed, make some extra freezer meals. Double your recipes and make freezer meals that you can rely on when busy nights hit.

If you want to save even more time throughout the school year, try to come up with a consistent meal planning system as well. I’ve been using an app called Prepear for meal planning and I LOVE IT! Read my full Prepear review to learn more.

8. Create a master calendar for your home

Create a master calendar and add it to your command center. This should have EVERYTHING from sports team practices to doctor’s appointments for your whole family.

We talked about how to make a command center in our DIY back to school organization hacks post but you could also use an app like Google Calendar or Cozi Family Organizer to keep everything in check. The calendar apps have the added perk of allowing you to color-code different events!

9. Create a plan of simple lunch ideas and start buying supplies

Make a rotating meal plan that you can use in your home during the back to school season. This will include cold lunch ideas that you can put together for the year and ideas to change things up.

Start buying supplies that you can stockpile to make these now so you don’t have to worry about it all year long! Check out our other lunch box hacks too if you want to save more time!

10. Clear out the first two weeks during back to school season

Meetings and other school events happen pretty often during the first two weeks of school. Save some space in your calendar or clear it out if you can. This will make it easier to make those events, without all the chaos.

Conclusion

If you have these ten simple things taken care of, back to school will be a lot less chaotic! While I can’t guarantee that you won’t oversleep or forget to pack your kids’ lunch one day, these tips will help make those hectic times a lot less stressful.

Have any of your own back to school preparation tips? How do you prepare for back to school season?

Other posts you might like:

• Tips from the Fab Frugal Team: 12 Apps to Help You Stay Organized During Back to School Season!
• 10 DIY Back to School Organization Hacks for Parents
• How to Create a Back to School Homework Station
• 60+ Back to School Breakfast Recipes & Ideas
• 20 Great Questions To Ask Kids After School