With three children in school and summer nearing its end, we have uniforms to buy, backpacks to choose and haircuts to schedule. I love shopping, but when looking for specific items on a list, the process can get overwhelming for both the parent and child. Make sure you check out these simple ways to save on back-to-school shopping before you head to the store. Knowing you’re saving a little money in the process can make any school supply shopping day better!
Shop the sales – Retailers will be offering rock bottom prices on school supplies. If you know your student will run out of crayons in December, pick up two packs now and put that extra money in your pocket. I love buying extra school supplies to donate to the classroom, bring to the school library and/or keep for use at home. You can’t beat a $1 pack of markers, a $0.19 notebook or a $0.25 ruler! (Next month, those prices will be double or triple!)
Dosh – This is a cash back app that is so easy to use! With stores like Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and Gap, you can definitely earn cash back on your back-to-school purchases this year. (No coupons, no promo codes and no receipts to scan!) Click here for more information and to download the app.
Tax-Free Weekend – look into the dates for your state’s tax-free weekend. That 8 or 9% adds up, and when you are spending hundreds of dollars on uniforms and supplies, that’s extra money you can put toward Mom’s pedicure once school is back in session! (I’m only half kidding.)
Make your own snacks – The individual packages of snack cookies are so convenient, but price a family package of the same cookie along with a snack container or box of zip top bags. Most of the time, those individual packages are way more expensive than you thought. We make it a point to make snack bags on Sunday night, for the entire week. My children look forward to it, plus, we are saving a little money in the process!
Use what you have – I always thought my children needed a new backpack, new scissors and new markers… but then I looked inside their school bag from the previous year. I found like-new scissors that just needed to be wiped down and cleaned, pencils that were never sharpened and a school bag that could be washed and donated or used another year. I know it’s fun and exciting to get new supplies each year, but if the funds are needed elsewhere, consider your options or hold off until stores mark this year’s school supplies on clearance!
