Money Lessons in a Backpack

By Melissa TosettiWhen my 10 year old son Dante was getting ready to go into kindergarten, my mom went a little nutty buying him school supplies.  When she handed over the bags of provisions, I joked that she bought enough to get him through college!Among the notebooks, pencils and glue sticks was a sturdy red and black backpack that he proudly wore on that first day of school.Dante started his last year of elementary school yesterday wearing that very same backpack. In addition to being carried to class every week for the last six years, it’s flown across the country, travelled all over Italy, and accompanied him on dozens and dozens of camping and road trips.  It gets washed about once a year and is still in exceptional shape without a mark or tear.It’s quite possible Dante really will be wearing that backpack on his first day of college!Each fall, as the retail industry lays out their array of back to school items, it can be easy to automatically assume your children need to replace ALL their school gear.  But, is it possible that their lunch boxes and other items are still in good condition?We’ve become a disposable society, so often replacing items that are perfectly good.  It’s an expensive habit, personally and environmentally.The next time you’re tempted to replace an item, first, think about why you want to purchase a new one.  Creating that checkpoint will give you an opportunity to be mindful and actually make a decision rather than to buy-new out of habit.The more you streamline your spending, the more money you have to spend on the things you really want and that’s what Savvy Living is all about!_________________________________________________________________________Melissa Tosetti is the founder of The Savvy Life and author of the international bestseller Living The Savvy Life. For the past eight years, she’s worked with over 450 individuals and families to create Spending Plans.Melissa also works with financial advisors and their clients doing cash flow planning as well as giving over 200 Savvy Living presentations via webinar and in-person to audiences across the U.S.If you’d like to learn more about how Melissa works with clients visit The Savvy Life’s Programs page.If you’d like to learn more about how Melissa works with financial advisors and their clients visit: The Savvy Life Advisor’s Page.