Back to (Home) School Shopping and Planning

My back to school shopping and planning are a little different from the run of the mill activities of other moms those time of year. My kids are home schooled so I don’t go through the regular routine of doing back-to-school shopping where I frantically run around trying to get everything on the teacher’s list. I used to do it and it was very stressful. These days I go at my own pace and purchase what I want. I have specific things I want my kids to learn this year but it’s not a regimented structure like you find in most classrooms. In essence we Un-school meaning my kids learn through what naturally interest them. I provide a little guidance and make things available to them to explore but I don’t plan their days or make them sit and finish endless assignments.

Modified Back to School Shopping

With that being said I do my shopping based on my loose plan for the year. I still need the standard supplies like paper, pens, and other stuff but I also keep in mind the things we will do that will give my kids a rich learning experience. This includes trips to the museum or out of town, access to great content online, testing fees for my high school daughter, learning tools (aka toys) for my son’s projects just to name a few.

Sample Curriculum

Here is a sample of his curriculum for this semester. He’s pretty excited about it.

 

Funding My Back to School Shopping

Despite my lose education program and somewhat simple back to school list I still want to keep things affordable. This year I’m using the BlueBird card to fund my shopping. I got my card a few weeks ago and loaded it with money to keep my spending in check. I used the mobile app to load money from my regular bank account. The process was pretty simple as noted in my screenshots below.

There are three ways to load money to the card including: mailing a check, scanning a check, connecting to a checking or savings account, or connecting to a debit card. I chose to scan a check and use a debit card.

Scanning a check was the initial way I added money. It took about 5 days for it to clear/appear. The process was pretty painless but if you want money instantly added it’s best to use another method like from a debit card connection. There is a $2 fee to add money if you use this method.

You can also reload the card at Walmart. I haven’t tried that yet but it is an option.

So with my card loaded I can shop for the things I need. It’s also helpful to see a running tab of things I bought so I can budget for next semester or next year.

Adding Money to Bluebird Card

Open the mobile app and  click Add Funds then follow the directions

 

Click the funding source you want to use

To connect your Debit Card enter your card number and expiration date then click Next

 

Give your Debit Card a name

Adding funds by check

Enter your checking information

 

Enter the amount you want to add

 

Scan your filled out check (not shown for privacy reasons)

 

Your funds will be added to your Bluebird account in 5-7 business days.