SHOP ONLINE LIKE A PRO 3 Ways to Save on Trendy Back-to-School Buys
Shopping online is tricky in the best of times, but it’s doubly trying when your kids’ opinions are involved. If back-to-school shopping is challenging in your house, try these tricks to hunt down the backpack, pencil bag, and lunchbox the kiddos are begging for without going over budget. 1. Opt for secondhand or refurbished items. If your kid is dying to have the same Parkland Kingston Plus Backpack that celebrities’ kids were flaunting last year, you might be able to snag one secondhand for half the price. The same goes for the popular PLAE Max Shoes or even electronics like iPads. Check out online retailers like JemJem or Gazelle for refurbished electronics, and try the Poshmark app for bags, shoes, and clothes. If you really want to get fancy, visit TheRealReal.com for luxury-brand clothing.
like RetailMeNot and Groupon, or streamline your search by downloading a money-saving browser extension or app like Honey, which automatically checks for coupon codes and offers price comparisons. Other apps, like Flipp, let you view deals from dozens of stores in one place. Remember to see if your favorite store has its own app, too — downloading it could grant you access to exclusive deals. 3. Don’t forget to factor in shipping. If you shop internationally, shipping can sometimes double the cost of an order. To save money, choose domestic retailers and check each website or app for shipping specials and discounts. Many websites offer free or reduced shipping for first-time customers or orders over a certain dollar amount. If you choose to shop somewhere without such a discount, check the shipping costs and factor them into your budget before you shop to avoid nasty surprises.
2. Always check discount apps and websites. If you’re not at least Googling “[store
name] coupon code” before checking out online, you’re probably missing out on big savings. Visit popular coupon websites
If your kids are old enough, consider talking them through this process as you shop. Who knows, this could be a great back-to-school lesson in budgeting!
CARL SMITH
I’ve mentioned before there have been a lot of truck drivers in my family. My brothers Bryce and Allen drove first for the moving company Mayflower Transit and then for Tri-State Trucking out of
One guy who drove in the glory days is Carl Smith. After leaving high school early and serving three tours in Vietnam as a machine gunner, he learned to drive semis. While he did a couple other side gigs over the years, he could never leave the smell of diesel and the sound of air horns for long. After 28 years and millions of miles without an accident, he got into a doozy when he plowed into another rig stopped on I-71 in Kentucky. He lacerated his spleen, broke his leg, busted his teeth, and bashed his head. He was offwork for 16 months. After extensive rehab, he tried to go back to training new drivers. Getting in and out of the trucks was too much, as his leg would give way without warning; he didn’t feel safe. He then tried working security but the lingering head injury resulted in memory and concentration problems. Reluctantly, he listened to his doctor, who advised him to file for permanent total disability. As is often the case, though, the Industrial Commission doctors agreed that Carl couldn’t sit, stand, climb stairs, squat, concentrate, or remember short instructions, but they still concluded he should be able to do something (maybe become a politician!). When we got to the hearing, however, a long- serving Industrial Commission hearing officer agreed this was a pipe dream. Over the objections of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation attorney, the hearing officer granted Carl’s permanent total disability. I’m always honored to help these big-rig drivers. I suppose it takes me back to a simpler time, years ago, when a little boy riding in the back seat of his parents’ car would look up at the driver of a Peterbilt or Kenworth (or the guys “chasin’ the bulldog” in their Macks) and motion for him to blow that big ol’ airhorn. He’d smile and oblige, much as if saying, “That’s a big 10-4, little buddy!”
Joplin, Missouri, when I was little. My Uncle Nick had his own small trucking operation out of Iowa for many years, until memories of a horrendous accident led him to retire. Bryce gave it up when it got too hard to balance marriage and family with weeks on the road. After he retired from Whirlpool, though, he went back to driving for a few years and even taught newbies how to handle the big rigs … for some guys, it just seems to get in their blood. My eyes got big when he’d talk about hauling dynamite through the Rockies or moving a Saturn V rocket engine to Cape Kennedy! When I was a toddler, my parents often had to load me in the car to see “the big trucks” on Range Line Road in Joplin before I’d go to sleep. It used to be a good paying job and the drivers were highly trained professionals, courteous, and safe on the roads. Now, it’s still a hard job but doesn’t seem to pay as well.
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