Back to School Shopping

Do you enjoy Back to School Shopping? I went for two hours on Saturday and had a blast. I went to pick up the neighbors two little girls (grade one and two) and a neighbor girl tagged along. We walked to the open market in the center of town. There I purchased uniform material for the two girls. The Third asked me about hers, and I was able to tell her my coworker Teresa was sewing her pants. Yassin, the oldest, then told me what was next on the list: shoes, books pencils, colors, eraser, a book bag and body lotion. They each grabbed a hand or two fingers and off we went. Those little faces were eyeing the tables of goodies for the perfect shoes. Yassin discovered her pair (bright purple) and pulled the rest of us over. Not to be out done, her younger half sister, Kumba, found a matching pair in orange. Ami shyly asked if she could have a pair. I agreed and she happily tried on her favorite, red pair. We tucked the shoes in the growing tote bag and were off. The list was yet to be finished. We hunted for book bags. The variety would NOT put Wal-Mart to shame. The only ones I found were at the grab pile. (I think these items came from a Salvation Army type clothing drop. All the bags were used.) Picture my three adorable little girls; they jumped up and down like we had hit a jackpot. They rummaged through the pile until each was beaming. Yassin’s choice was shades of purple, Kumba’s was red, and Ami picked out a teal colored bag.

Yassin consulted her checklist in her head. We were off yet again. Now the real fun part about making these purchases is that each time you buy… you barter the cost. I felt I made good deals on the shoes and sacks, but the owner of the body lotion wanted more than I was willing to part with. So, we walked away. Sometimes that works and other times like today, it doesn’t. (Okay it did for the shoes!)

Our next big stop was a snack, bean sandwiches. They were just what I needed. Fortified we were off to the tailor. That was a fun experience as the girls stood to be measured. The uniforms were delivered today. It was a great trip. I was a little sunburned, managed to pick up potatoes and onions and some apples. Now you ready (this would put Wal-Mart to shame), my grand total for two complete uniforms and material for 3 more pants, three pair of shoes, 3 book bags, 4 1/2pounds of potatoes and 2 pounds of onions, plus sandwiches for four… $26.

Am I a good shopper or what!