5 tips for back to school organization

In Arizona, school is back in session as early as mid-July.

Experts suggest getting a back to school routine to save money, time, and your sanity.

Lainika Johnson Colbert with FEMnominal.com offers the following advice:

1. School clothes - dedicate an hour to going through old clothes to see what still fits and get rid of what doesn't.  Consign what you can for extra money to buy new clothes and take the rest to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.  Make a list of what they need to replace for the new year. 

2. School supplies - make this a fun game for the kids.  Place a plastic bin on the counter and give them 15 minutes to gather up all the pencils, crayons, glue sticks, empty notebooks and folders they can find.  The winner gets an ice cream cone from McDonald's.  It's just $1.29. It's much cheaper than buying a bunch of supplies you don't need.  You can get the rest of the supplies from online companies that prepackage what you need or hit your local big box store for really cheap items.  Office supply stores usually run specials during this time so make sure you check your local paper.

3. Bedtime routine -  To avoid full out anarchy, ease back into the bedtime routine slowly by moving the bedtime back 15 minutes everyday until everyone is back on their regularly scheduled program.  Same thing with mornings.  Wake the kids up 15 minutes earlier everyday until they reach their normal waking time.

4. Homework routine -  There are several websites that will let you download free worksheets in every school subject.  Have them do one worksheet everyday around 3 p.m. to get them used to the idea of getting down to business.

5. Get organized -  Make a list of all of the things that need organizing and tackle them one by one for just 15 minutes a day.  Don't be afraid to throw things away.  Just keep a trash can next to you as you organize and sometimes you might decide to just empty an entire drawer into the trash.  It really cuts down on your work!