Back to school season is almost upon us. One of my tricks for making the transition into a new academic year easier for everyone is to stock the pantry and freezer now, a few weeks before school starts. When settling into a new routine, mornings can be a little crazy and everyone can be a little frazzled by dinner time at the end of the day. Having breakfast ready to go, easy lunch options available and dinner staples at the ready can make the transition easier on everyone in the family.

Fortunately, the nearest grocery store, my Jewel-Osco, is celebrating its anniversary meaning that I can both stock up and save. Win-win! Don’t miss out on the savings during the Jewel-Osco Anniversary Sale. Pop in today and save on everything your family loves, from snacks and drinks to cookout classics and more.

Here some ways to take full advantage of the sale to stock up for the coming school year, which will save both money and sanity when the back to school craziness hits in earnest.

* Double up on grilling now means easier meal prep later.

When you’re grilling out, toss a couple extra boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the grill and then freeze them. Once school is in session, you can defrost them and have a good start on dinner. Or chop it up and toss with some bowtie pasta and veggies to make a pasta salad for lunch.

Tip: Make friends with your meat market manager to get the best meat. This is Kurt. He’s been working for Jewel-Osco since 1998, and he couldn’t be kinder and more helpful.

* Stock up on large snacks that work for lunch and after school and then make your own individual portions at home.

Buy a big bag of Rold Gold pretzels. Let your kids pick between sticks, twists, traditional pretzel shape. Having a small say can make a big difference. Once you make individual-size servings, they’ll be ready to toss in the lunch box or have on hand as an after school snack. Maybe put a few bags in the car just in case, too.

Tip: Have your kids put them into individual snack bags. Even little ones can handle this job.

* Fresh fruit is good both now and later if you freeze it.

Blueberries are on sale, and they are so very yummy. Enjoy now, and get extra to freeze. Just spread in one even layer on a cookie and pop in the freezer for an hour. Once frozen, put into a Ziploc bag and then use the frozen blueberries whenever you’re making smoothies, pancakes, muffins, etc.

Tip: Use the blueberries to make muffins now and freeze, then you have them on hand for quick breakfasts and lunches.

* Keep favorites on hand for grown-ups, too.

My husband loves Mountain Dew. Really, truly loves it. I love him, and while I may not completely understand the Mountain Dew habit, I’m happy to stock up when it’s on sale. Compared to Starbucks, it’s a caffeine deal. These photos of the Mountain Dew will make him so happy, and if you’re a Pepsi fan or want to stock up to have on hand for the rest of cookout season and heading into tailgate season, this sale is the time to do so. Here’s the soda aisle, which my husband calls “the Promised Land.”

Tip: Help kids sharpen their math skills by seeing just how much you can save when shopping a big sale. Knowing how to budget is a huge life skill parents can start teaching their kids early on.

* Simplify Breakfast

I love that Tropicana is part of the sale. You can get the large size if your whole family loves juice like mine, or the smaller, individual-sized ones that kids can help themselves to in the morning are also on sale. Check the expiration dates – the ones at my store were more than a month out, meaning I could stock up for the first few weeks of school. Score!

Sales are also the only time I buy cereal, so you can be your Life I’m going to be stocking up. See what I did there? Sorry.

When I first moved to the Chicagoland area more than a decade ago, I thought people were big into talking about their jewelry when they kept talking about “Jewel,” but soon Jewel became my go-to place for food shopping. It still is. I shopped Jewel Huge Anniversary sale, but you can be sure to check out what great deals are available at Safeway, Albertson, or Amigos, too!

The Anniversary sale runs today through August 11th, so you have lots of time to stock up on your favorite brands. I’d love to hear what items your family stocks up on at Jewel-Osco! Let me know in the comments.

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