Photo by Sir Fish
Its that time of year, kids dread and parents too – back to school shopping. The time of year that strikes fear into parents hearts and wallets. According to The National Retail Federation, families with school-age children are expected to spend $563.49 on back-to-school merchandise this year. Not all of that is basic supplies. That does include clothes, accessories, electronics, and footwear. And if you have more than one child, it can get very expensive quickly. If you hate back-to-school shopping, here are a few tricks that I use to reduce the bill in my house.
Obtain your child’s supply list and see what can be reused from last year. You may be able to reuse items such as scissors, pencil cases, backpacks and calculators. This will save money towards supplies that you will need to purchase this year. If you have older children, some items such as graphing calculators can be passed down to younger kids. Items that probably need to be replaced this year include crayons, markers (paper and dry erase), paper, notebooks, pencils, folders, glue sticks and rulers.
See what you already have new around the house. I love to stock up when school supplies are cheap or on clearance. Your child will probably go through (or lose) more than 12 pencils or one pack of markers this year. And duct tape can keep a folder together for only so long.
I keep a box in my linen closet with extra supplies so they are always easy to find. I learned this trick from another mom and it has saved her money instead of always running out to the 24 hour drugstore when her kids need something at 9 p.m.. Just keep the supply box out of your kids reach, otherwise they will think its ok to always take a new box of crayons every time they color a picture.
Consult newspaper (or on-line) store ads before you go. This can save gas as you won’t be running from store to store. Compare the sales between big box, grocery, drug and office stores. You may discover that a drug store has a lower price on needed supplies than the big-box stores.
For example, a local supermarket recently advertised Crayola crayon 24 packs for $1 each. This was a great deal, until I went to the local super store and saw the same crayons for $.22 a pack. I got five packs for what I would have paid for one. I now have one to send to school and four in reserve.
If your child needs uniforms for school, look around for the best deal before buying. Most schools will tell parents to go to a uniform shop that the school has an agreement with. Uniform shops tend to be very expensive, even for the basics, such as pants and blouses. I believe the only items that really need to come from a uniform company are plaid jumpers/skirts, gym uniforms and any item with the school’s logo on it. Most of the other uniform essentials can come from Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s and J.C. Penney’s for a fraction of the cost. Make sure to check any items fit within the guidelines given. A white polo shirt with an embroidered Mickey Mouse will probably violate most dress codes.
Photo by Sheree K
If you can’t find a good sale, don’t buy more than you need! School supplies usually start going on clearance around Labor Day. Take advantage of the deals on clearance to create a supply box for the rest of the year, or get a head start for next year! Some teachers will be nice and tell you what is absolutely needed for the first week or two of school. Sometimes an item is on the list and may not be needed for weeks or months!
Jennifer writes Toast on the Ceiling when she isn't bargain hunting at Target.
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Great Article!;)
A Mr. Clean Eraser has kept my daughter's pencil box going strong for 3 years. Just scrub off all the old gunk and it looks like new!
Back-to-school shopping is already in full force.
Remember that the list is just a "wish list". Public schools are REQUIRED to supply your child with the necessary supplies.
Supply lists are not wish lists by us. we are required to provide supplies or the kid will go without. teachers provide nothing here.