Our weeks have been so incredibly busy that all of a sudden it’s time for back to school. You know - socks, shoes, new jeans, and one million notebooks? While we’re on the subject of those 17 cent Walmart notebooks I have a complaint, which I really shouldn’t even lodge given the fact that they are 17 cents. Can’t they make them in better colors? Not a primary color anyway? For a dime, nickel, and two pennies color is not a choice – so we stack them up and run.

I think I’ve been ignoring school shopping because this is my middle daughter’s last time – high school shopping, anyway. Her senior year is upon me with all its lasts, and maybe I wanted the summer to stretch on for just a bit longer. But ignore it I couldn’t. The days piled up on me and suddenly school was ready to pounce in a few days. We piled up the car yesterday after church, and with Selena at the wheel and Hunter ensconced in the back seat, we took off for Canton.

I know a lot of people head to Columbus for school shopping. That’s fine. We find just as many deals and selection with what Canton has to offer. I will break down for you what our agenda looked like yesterday. We started off at Rue 21, which calls itself “fresh and affordable” – fashionable clothing at a lower price. Selena had a gift card, so she scoured the store and ended up with two pairs of colored jeans. Colored jeans are all the rage right now, and the store had a sale of buy one get one for ten dollars. She looked great in them so we purchased and moved on. Hunter also found a pair of jeans here – tan ones for his consummate taste. We usually don’t go on a Sunday. Time constraints forced the issue so we made the most of our time by not lollygagging around like we usually do. We were in and out of Rue 21 in 45 minutes.

Next up was Belden Village Mall – and no, please don’t correct me with Westfield Shopping Center. It will always be Belden to me and no corporation taking over will really ever change that. Anyone else want to go to Mellett Mall or Monroe Mall? While we’re on the subject of old names, whatever happened to Petrie’s? Or T G & Y? Of all the lost stores, I miss Nickel’s the most. I loved that store pre-Walmart.

Malls really do have great deals. Don’t be afraid to shop them. I hear people tell me that they can’t afford to shop there, but I say forge ahead! The stores in the mall need to stay competitive with the discount stores, and we have found lots and lots of good sales. We scored some great V-necks for Hunter at Pac-Sun as usual, which for the first time this year had “bundles” that they were offering for one price. Jeans, tees, and so forth were packaged together, which I thought was a great deal. Jeans can be had here for a song. Walk on by the most expensive jeans at the front of the store and look toward the middle to the back. That’s where the good deals are. We always walk out with a full bag and a smile. American Eagle had men’s V-necks on sale for $10 – in a rainbow of colors to boot. A few of those made it into our bag, regardless of the snaking line that made its way around the back of the store to pay.

Selena always does her best at Forever 21. They brag that they offer “the most current fashions at the greatest value” – and I agree. She loaded her bag with so much stuff and the price tag was mini. Hunter laments the fact that girl’s clothing is so much cheaper than guys. I tend to agree to a point. Regardless, I was happy at all the stuff she scored and happy how little money flowed from my purse. Charlotte Russe was where she found a dress she wanted for senior pictures, and we also made a stop at Express and Gap. Finish Line was where Hunter found and purchased new tennis shoes. He is a Nike man, and gray with a white swoosh came home with us for a pleasant price. Our motto is this: You can always find what you want, but you have to actually search for it and compare prices. If you instill in your kids a searching spirit, not content to just buy the first pair of shoes you see for a high price, they will surprise you with what they find. When they know they can’t spend an arm and a leg they will look harder – and in the process become savvy shoppers.

Our shopping frenzy took us from the mall, over to Gabriel Brothers, and finally up to the Strip. Old Navy, which is my all-time favorite store, was where Selena made a great haul once again. She found shoes, flip-flops, scarves, and utilitarian T-shirts, which Old Navy is famous for. Weekly they have incredible deals on their clothing. She found two V-necks that were $7.50 if you buy two. I’ve also found shirts and tank tops here for as little as $4 a piece or less. I headed into Marshall’s with Hunter, which became our last stop. Here, we found the exact socks he wanted. He is super picky about socks and we found bundles of Puma athletic socks for $3.99. We bought three bundles and headed out the door.

After eating at Rooster’s, which was a fun place to try, we headed to Walmart for school supplies. At this point of the day we were getting into that tired/crazy zone, so getting the cart full was a trip. We’ve had trouble in the past getting all the supplies we need at one Walmart. They are out of things, or everything is a mess. The one we shopped at yesterday was the one on Tuscarawas, right by Canton Centre Mall (Yes, Mellett Mall). They had everything the kids could need, and we even found secret stashes and aisles of extra school supplies. They were loaded and we headed out the door with every single thing crossed off our list. We ended the day with pecan hot fudge sundaes at Taggart’s. It is a ritual that no matter how tired we are, we always head over to Fulton Road and have a seat in those great old booths and rehash the day. We accomplished and bought everything we needed from noon to 8 p.m. For us that has to be a record. Deals are out there. Train your eye and your pocketbook will follow. And it will smile.