How to Save for Back to School

Yep. It’s that time of year again! Back to School time can cost a fortune, especially if you have more than 1 child. Between pencils and paper, shoes and clothes it can cost hundreds of dollars per kid! There are many very simple things that you can do to save a lot of money! It just takes thinking outside the box and a little elbow grease. Okay – maybe not elbow grease, but you get my drift. 😉

Set a Budget for Back to School and stick to it:

Creating a Back to School budget is a really important factor in saving the most money. You don’t want to overspend, but you still want to be able to get everything needed. With each child being in different levels of school, their needs will be different. Don’t forget to budget for the teenager’s track shoes or calculator! Keep those kinds of things in mind.

 

How to Save on School Supplies:

School supplies vary upon the age of your kids, but they all need them. The best ways that I’ve found to save on school supplies are to watch sale fliers for sales and use coupons at places like Staples or Office Max. Buy bigger bulk packs of some supplies that get used a lot. Yes, you may be spending more up front but it proves to save quite a bit overall. This works great, especially if you have 3 or 4 kids in school at the same time.

Use printable coupons on supplies at stores like Walmart too or other big retail stores. If you’re shopping online for supplies, I highly recommend Amazon or Discount School Supply for your items. Both are great places to find great deals. If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get fast FREE 2 day shipping. If you don’t have it, you can get a FREE Trial of Amazon Prime now!!

Stick to practical and not CUTE. Cute can cost a fortune when it comes to pens, folders, notebooks, backpacks, and the like. Give the kids a limit on the cutesie things they are allowed to buy and then the rest…stick to practical. Check this blog post out too for lots of other great ideas for saving on school supplies!

 

How to Save on Back to School Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories:

Clothing and shoes are your biggest chunk for back to school spending! Especially if you have teenagers! They want what their friends have so it’s always a battle. I know…I used to be a teen.

Rule # 1 is to never pay full price and always watch for sales! Keep an eye out for coupon mailers to help save a few extra dollars here and there.

Thrift Shop. Most of the time you can find really nice namebrand clothing in thrift shops that even still have the tags on them. You’ll get those goodies at huge discounted prices than you will off the retail store rack!

Shop Year Round. Every couple of months, head out and grab a few sales. Scope online deals out throughout the year and when you find a nice deal, snag it. It’s smarter than paying full price WHEN you need the actual item!

Shop clearance. That’s a no-brainer, I know….but sometimes people just need to be reminded. Most of the time you can still even use coupons or coupon codes on clearanced items. Think outside the box too. Don’t just look for clothes that are on clearance. Look for shoes, jewelry, accessories and other things that are generally clearanced too.

Think outside of the season. While you’re doing back to school shopping now, you’re looking for fall outfits. Hit the sale racks for the summer things that are on sale or clearance and buy the next size up. The kiddos can wear those things NEXT year and you won’t be paying full price next year for summer clothes.

Shop Online. I get my biggest discounts most of the time from shopping online, especially when I can score free shipping. I do the majority of my shopping at these spots, and often through Ebates for Cashback!

Amazon

Payless Shoes

Crocs.com

Walmart

 

What are your best tips for saving on back to school supplies and clothes? We all love to learn from others, so leave your best tips below in a comment! Can’t wait to hear them.