Back to school time is here, and that for most of us that means let the chaos to begin. You have back to school shopping, back to school supplies, and back to school scheduling chaos. Soccer games, dance lessons, and somewhere in there you are supposed to find time to make dinner for everyone. Even though we homeschool, back to school gets to be chaos for us too! That’s why we have a few tricks up our sleeves to take the chaos out of back to school (without breaking the bank).
For our family, the first thing to go out the window is making dinner. Sometimes I remember to do cool things like put a good crockpot chili in before we rush off for the day, but there are other days my fibro fog brain takes hold of me and the day has gone past and before I realize it’s dinner time. Rather than stressing out, I check out a few ways that we can enjoy dinner together as a family and not spend a bajillion dollars.
Looking for great deals for dinner is one of my favorite ways to take the chaos out of back to school (for those nights mama forgets to make dinner or realizes it’s 7pm and we haven’t eaten) Recently, we had the chance to head out to Buca di Beppo near our house. We’d never been there before, but heard they had this great 4 for $40 dinner special (you can print your Buca di Beppo coupon here for this offer). Feeding our family for less than $50 and I don’t have to cook is a win win to me. It’s always so expensive to eat out to dinner. That’s why normally it’s just me and hubby for date nights.
It was a great relaxing place to eat. There wasn’t the hustle and bustle that we were feeling from rushing around getting the kids ready for school, and there was plenty of food to eat. It’s all served family style so we got salad, pasta, bread and more for everyone to share. It totally made my night. We’ve decided as a family that we will definitely be making this a new back to school family tradition.
While having a frugal back to school dinner is one of our ways to to take the chaos out of back to school season. Here are the other tips that we use every year to make sure we don’t pull our hair out!
5 Ways to Take the Chaos out of Back to School (Without Breaking the Bank)
Have a frugal dinner night out: It’s guaranteed there is going to be a night when you aren’t home to have dinner. Have a plan set out, like the 4 for $40 Buca di Beppo deal! All you have to do is print your Buca di Beppo coupon here, and keep it in the car. Then you are all set when you need to eat on the go! (You can even make Buca di Beppo reservations here so you don’t have to wait!)
Get Back to School Shopping Done Early: The sooner you get your back to school shopping done, the more money you will save and the less chaos you will have as the new school year approaches.
Family Meeting Time: Have a family meeting to get everyone on the same page. Talk about what everyone wants to do this year (ie. sports, dance) and how that is going to affect the family schedule. A great time to do this is over dinner. Food always seems to make family conversations go better. Plus, it gives your kids some ownership of the school year. Don’t just leave it up to mom and dad to deal with all the chaos.
Promise to Do Less this Year: Families are always running around. Kids are in five bajillion activities, parents are pulling their hair out playing taxi. At your family meeting, vow to do LESS this year. It gives you more time to spend as a family and build those strong family ties, plus it saves money on gas and activity fees. Sometimes doing less is more!
Put Family Time on the Calendar: Making family time a priority is huge when your kids are getting older. It’s how parents and kids get to connect with each other. Plan dinner once a month where you all sit down and have dinner together as a family. Laugh, enjoy each other’s company, and pull together as family unit and you will see that the world isn’t quite so chaotic this back to school season.
Great family meals are central to building a stronger, happier family. It’s been what has kept our family close even when the kids are getting older and doing more on their own. This school year don’t let the chaos of it all let quality family time take a back seat! Take some time for a nice dinner, catch up with the family, and plan your back to school so you aren’t pulling your hair out even before school truly starts!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Buca di Beppo. The opinions and text are all mine.
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