It’s beginning to look a lot like…back to school time! It certainly crept up on us; same for you? When asking around what you all needed the most help, you asked for cute, inexpensive kids clothes and lunch help! You also wanted to see what our morning routine looks like, DIYs for the first day, and questions to ask after school. Those will be coming! But today, we’re going to focus on back to school clothing and lunches.
Also, I’m sharing little girls options today, and I’ll try and share the little boys picks early next week. I’m still shopping for Colin, but his stuff is super easy. ;) Girls are pickier (especially once they are past kinder *eyeroll*), so we’re going with a capsule for the mini first!
When I start thinking of a pieces I want to buy for the school year, I always think about basics first. What do I need? Charlotte loves dresses, so that’s a must. But at school, she runs around all day, so leggings & cartwheel shorts are also a must. What else can we pair with those? Tshirts. I tend to steer away from shorts, because she’s still wearing some from the summer and those can be used again in the school year.
DRESSES
TOP: OLD NAVY DRESSES // MIDDLE: J.CREW LOOK ON AMAZON & TWIRL DRESS // BOTTOM: AMAZON (several patterns & colors)
Here are some of the things I bought for her, and the color options I love! All of these styles come in a ton of colors, and they can be mixed and matched with tights or biker shorts. For fall, pair them with a jacket and leggings and booties. Super cute and functional, too.
TOPS & JACKETS
LOVE TSHIRT // COLOR BLOCK TEE // LIVE COLORFULLY TEE // RAINBOW TEE // VARSITY TEE // BLUE JEAN JACKET // GRAY HOODIE // NAVY HOODIE
These tshirts are perfect for all the leggings and the cropped denim for the start of the school year. They can be layered up in the fall and winter, so my recommendation would be to size up so they’ll last until the end of the school year.
I love to have a blue jean jacket and hoodies on hand year round as well. They are closet staples for everyone in the family!
BOTTOMS & SHOES
4-PACK LEGGINGS (20 colorway combos) // CROPPED JEANS // 3-PACK LEGGINGS
RAIN BOOTS // CAT SLIPPERS // NATIVE’S // FAUX SUEDE BOOTIES // ADIDAS TENNIS SHOES
When it comes to bottoms and shoes, there are two things I always look for: quality and comfort. I like to invest in one really good pair of tennis shoes, and then I’m pretty frugal about the rest.
Leggings wear and tear so easily in our house, so I love to find the best deals on those, and Amazon is where I’ve found the best value because they sell them in packs of 3-6.
The cartwheel shorts I mentioned are everywhere, but I am loving these from J.Crew on Amazon!!!
For shoes, I think 4-5 pairs is more than enough. Rain boots, dressy slides, booties, waterproof shoes, and tennis shoes are our must-haves. I try to stick to the neutral shoes that can be worn with anything.
MORE OF OUR FAVORITE STORES
For my sanity, I try to limit my shopping to two to three stores max. However, some of our favorite stores are having major sales right now. If you noticed, all the clothes and shoes above are from Old Navy, Amazon, and Nordstrom. Keep it simple, people.
CARTER’S & OSHKOSH B’GOSH
So many tshirts, pants, leggings, and jeans less than $10! Dresses and rompers less than $15!
Extra 20% off $40 or more this weekend using code: FIRSTDAY
J.CREW CREWCUTS
35% off this weekend using code: APLUS
And there you have it! Our capsule wardrobe must-have categories. If something can be paired with at least 3 other items in your closet, don’t bother getting it. ;)
LUNCH INSPIRATION
Now for lunches! I am no expert, nor do I claim to be. I found some really fun accounts to follow on Instagram, and you can always look here on Pinterest for more ideas.
Just click on each photo to be taken to each person’s Instagram.
Such great inspo out there! I’ll be sharing more in my Instagram highlights as I see more. :) I’ll also be adding more BTS content all next week, so stay tuned!
Thank you all for being the best community of helpers lifting each other up! Happy back to school prepping!!!
