As the summer winds down, it’s time to turn our attention to fall. This is the time of year where kids are getting anxious for the first day of school and excited to re-connect with friends. It’s a time to get back into the groove of the normal routine again.
It’s also time to purchase school supplies & back to school clothes. Rulers, notebooks, backpacks, paper and erasers are everywhere. The sound of pens, pencils and crayons rolling around in shiny new pencil cases is a beautiful sound. The ringing of the cash register however, not so much.
New and Old Supplies, New Shoes, New Dress, New Lunch Box, Last Year's Coat, Last Year's Backpack, and Last Year's Leggings
Back to school shopping for just supplies can be EXPENSIVE!…. with all the binders, book covers, special calculators and gym shoes that need to be on hand for the first few days of school. Not to mention the list of donated classroom items which seems to get longer every year. Shop sales, clip coupons, and re-use items from the previous year. This will help keep the school tab a little lower. Here’s a few ideas to keep the supplies tab a little lower year to year:
- Re-use items from last year. For example, I buy quality backpacks and lunch bags (or boxes) that my kids love, and that will last at least 2 years. My daughter’s first backpack lasted from 3 yr. preschool thru 1st grade (4 years!). I had definitely had it going for me that it was super cute, very functional, and we both loved it.
* - Check for sales on backpacks, lunch bags, etc. immediately after school starts. You can find the pricey ones for 75% off. One year, I convinced my daughter to wait until the 2nd week of school for her backpack
* - Start buying supplies in late July and follow the sales week-to-week. Office Supply stores and grocery stores usually offer deep, deep discounts on specific supplies week to week. Take advantage of these to stock up for the entire year (not just the first day). Supplies can be SO cheap, that you can even pick up enough boxes of crayons, glue sticks, or folders for your child’s entire class for just a few bucks (their teacher will love you).
Now, what about clothes?
Talk about potential to break the bank!
- I usually buy my kids just a couple new things for school before school starts.
* - Rather, I shop the clothing selection that is flooding into the resale shops and online venues like LoobaLee. August is a fantastic time to find resale deals for back to school. And, its a great time to find wardrobe building blocks like jeans, hoodies, tees, shirts, etc. This can save a lot of money, especially if your kids grew over the summer and need all new clothes! And, principally, I always feel good about shopping resale from an environmentally conscious perspective.
* - Shopping LoobaLee and other resale outlets for fall clothing will also help make room in your family budget for more school needs and wants. LoobaLee has a great selection of essentials from socks and tights to jeans and dresses. Don’t forget to browse for sweaters and jackets too.
* - After school startsand everything’s on sale as merchandisers are switching gears to the holidays and heavy winter season, I pick up the few new things the kids still need (or want) – easily at 50 – 75% off retail.
Do you have favorite tips to share on how to save money when back to school shopping? Please comment below. We’d love to hear about them and share – Thanks!