Back to School on a Budget
Jun 28 '09
The Bottom Line If you take your time and shop wisely, you can get through Back to School shopping without busting your budget.
Before we know it the long days of summer will be coming to an end and we will be sending our children back to school. My two older boys are both in elementary school and the school supply lists I recieve for them are about unbelievable! Does a second grader really need 8 large glue sticks, elmer brand only? I guess thats really not up to me to decide. But, none the less I want to send my boys prepared with everything they need to start the year off right, so we purchase everything on the list. Having two boys in school with birthdays around the same time of the year I try to watch what I spend. School Supplies don't have to cost a fortune if you shop wisely. There are many ways to save money as you shop, if you just trade off a little of your time. These are a few of the ways I save money while back to school shopping.
Check the store circulars
In my area, the weekly local grocery store ads are delivered to my home every Saturday afternoon. Its amazing how much money you can save if you look through the store circulars and plan your shopping trips around the sales of the week. Last year around back to school time, in my Meijer ad there was a promotion being offered where if you bought $15 worth of pepsi and frito lay products, you would get a print out coupon at the register for $15 off the purchase of any book bag. Since these products were items I already purchased regularly, I used the promotion twice and stocked up on products we always use, recieved two print outs and got my boys backpacks for free! Many stores offer great promotions like these at this time of year so be sure to check the ads weekly.
Find an AMAZING sale? Stock up!
Last year Walmart had crayola crayons 24 count packs for 17 cents. NO LIMIT! My boys lists each called for two packs. I bought about 12 boxes of them. Crayons don't go bad! My kids had what they needed to take to school plus extras to keep at home for homework and other projects. I also sent a box or two in to one of their teachers towards the end of the year as supplies were running low. When you find deals like this its also a nice idea to donate some of what you purchase to a charity that helps provide school supplies to low income families who cannot afford them. It really makes a difference for a child and you will feel great about helping out too.
Buy in Bulk
Some of the essential back to school items never seem to go on sale. For these items I would suggest going to a warehouse store, like Sam's Club, BJ's, or Costco and checking out prices to purchase items in bulk. If you have a neighbor with a child in your kid's class, if your child is involved in sports or in scouting, more than likely if you ask, you will find another parent who would love to split costs and supplies.
Go to a PTA Meeting
If you never have been to a school PTA meeting, there is no better time to check things out than the beginning of the year. Sometimes PTA will purchase school supplies in bulk and have everything available that your child might need to go back to school. This is also a great chance to meet the parents of your child's classmates and more than likely you'll get some great info about back to school sales that they are shopping in your area.
It never hurts to look!
If you are already at the store shopping for something else, it not a bad idea to see what kind of prices the store might have on their back to school supplies. While shopping for birthday presents at Target, I checked out their school supplies and found they had 10 packs of notebooks for a dollar! If I hadn't went to look, I would have never known because it wasn't advertised!
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons
Check your local paper for coupons for back to school items. Be sure to use them were you can get the most value, find out if any of your local stores double or triple coupons. I use coupons throughout the year to cut my grocery bills almost in half, and plan to use coupons at back to school time if available.
These are just a few ways that I save money at back to school time. It can be time consuming, but these days I have more time to spend than money like many people. Follow these steps and send your kids back to school without breaking the bank.
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