Just Say NO to Summer Spending Peer Pressure

One of the best aspects of social media is the connection I have been able to make with teachers around the globe. My survival in the classroom on most days is thanks to the support, advice, and ideas I get from multiple teacher groups on Facebook. 

That being said.....

STOP POSTING YOUR PICTURES OF STUFF YOU JUST BOUGHT! 

Phew...Now that I have that off of my chest let me explain.

Picture this: You are innocently scrolling through Facebook looking at your friends new baby pics, your sister's vacation pics, and a few funny memes that make you chuckle. Then it hits you. That post. The one where the teacher has gone to Target to buy milk and somehow came home with a carload of goodies from the "Dollar Spot" (not really a dollar spot....just sayin'). Their post is overflowing in EXCITEMENT for a fresh new start to a fresh new year and you want some. No, you don't want some...you want it ALL! Your head starts spinning with new ideas for a cute chalkboard or a really neat caddie that will solve ALL of your classroom management needs. You promptly hop in the car and drive to 25 nearby Targets to find it ALL.

Sound familiar? 
If not....you are stronger than I am. I get that itching feeling every time I see one of those dang pictures and sometimes it's just too much to take. I want to redo my entire room in new colors to match new bins. Let me share a few tricks that will save you a TON of money this summer. 

#1 Scroll FASTER

I'm not kidding. Sounds stupid but if you really want to avoid that feeling of needing it all just keep scrolling. When I see one of those posts pop up I don't even let my eyes rest on it for a second. I just keep on going until the temptation is gone. Crisis averted. 

#2 If you must read it.....GIVE YOURSELF SOME TIME

DON'T get right in the car. Give yourself a day or two to think about. If you happen to be in a Target and you just can't get that one item off of your mind then who am I to tell you not to buy? Honestly though, if you just give it some time you will probably decide that you really didn't NEED that stuff after all. 

#3 Think about QUALITY over QUANTITY

25 cheap bins from the dollar spot will not last. I promise. They crack, they break, they end up in the garbage in a year (or so). If you are really looking to invest your money in items for your classroom think about the quality of the items you are spending your hard earned cash on. 12 bins from a company like Really Good Stuff (not an affiliate, I just like them) will cost you the same as 25 cheap bins from Walmart or Target. I started buying 12 each summer a couple of years ago and I now have about 48 of them in my classroom library and I will probably never have to replace them. They are high quality, yes pricey, but so worth it!

#4 Married? Want to stay that way? 

Haha, I jest. But really....if you are married and take any of this advice your husband/wife will thank me. 

#5 It is SUMMERTIME!

Enjoy your summer. The sooner you start redecorating your classroom in your head the sooner you will be back in your classroom redecorating. 

(Ok....if any of my friends are reading this are thinking HYPOCRITE right about now.....yes, I've been known to spend an entire summer redecorating my room). 

BUT NOT THIS YEAR! I haven't been back except to help a friend move. I haven't created anything new in WEEKS and I really don't know which alphabet I want to print and laminate because I just haven't thought about it. My therapy is working...I think....

Here is the part when I contradict everything I just said...

I want those SCOOP chairs. I have to have those SCOOP chairs. It's my ONE item that will not escape my brain and I will buy them if I see them (sorry hubs). But I haven't gone out of my way to find them (except for two stores on a road trip to San Antonio and ONE Wal-mart in San Diego but I didn't stop just for those!) I could have stopped at every Wal-mart on the way and I probably would have found them. But I didn't....because I was on vacation. Enjoy your family and if it happens, it will happen. If you don't find what everyone else has then that is ok too. In all honesty I really don't need those chairs. 
I'm sure I don't. 

***UPDATE- I found those chairs! Guess how long it took me? 
2 years! 
BUT I didn't actually look for them for that long, I had honestly given up and I paid for them with funds from the PTA so I didn't spend any money on them. Win! 

Save this post for later when you are feeling tempted!