7 Ways to Save Big on Back to School

It’s that time of year again! There’s no reason to let Back to School season bust your budget. Use these  7 Ways to Save Big on Back to School.

Use back to school shopping season as an opportunity to teach your kids basic money management skills. When you include them in this process, you are sharing your values and modeling how to use and work within a budget.

Ways to save on back to school shopping

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Buy Quality and Reuse

Back when I was a kid, part of back to school shopping was picking out a new lunchbox and backpack every year. Was it your tradition, too? With three kids, that adds up, so we aim to reuse for as many years as we can.

My son is using his black backpack for the fourth year, and it’s still in great shape. By teaching kids to take good care of their property and buying quality items to begin with, you’re setting yourself up to save money while teaching important values.

My daughters were sent home in June with the contents of their desks, so we’ve gone through and found the items that can be reused this year, making our shopping list shorter and saving us money.

Shop Early (or Late)

Both? I say that because for school supplies, I’ve found that it’s best to shop early in the summer. If we wait until the week before school starts, bins of supplies are empty at the big stores, and we can’t find what we need.

With clothing, however, I tend to wait and shop late. My kids can get away with shorts for the first month of school, so I wait to buy pants and jeans until late September and early October, when prices have dropped and the “hype” of back to school shopping is over.

Know About “Loss Leaders”

Decide Whether to Take the Kids

Keep Shopping Lists With You

Snap a photo of each child’s school supply list with your phone so you always have it with you. Next time you’re out running errands, you can grab those doorbuster deals.

 

For clothing purchases, my kids try everything on that was packed away from the colder seasons, and we make a list of what’s needed (don’t forget socks and underwear). Then we shop from the list heading into the school year. Just like with grocery shopping, using a list keeps you from overspending and impulse buying.

 

Shop Smart Online

If you’re going the online route, know what things cost. It’s easy to be won over by the convenience, but often the prices of school supplies can be much higher.

For clothing and shoes, be sure and use coupon codes for free shipping and %-off discounts. I always check Rakuten (formerly Ebates) since it earns me cash back.

I buy most of my kids’ clothing online with free shipping. That way, if something doesn’t fit, it’s just one trip to the store to return it. I also know what stores & brands fit my kids and stick with those. 

 

Share the Bigger Picture

Let the kids know that back to school shopping is just one (of many) expenses during the year, and discuss how it connects to the larger budget. My kids know that we have a monthly budget allotment for clothing and it doesn’t change just because school is starting.

We also wait to buy new sneakers in late August just before school starts; the kids compare different styles, and we discuss price differences, such as why some brands cost more. For our family, budgeting money for our next vacation is high on our priority list, so we’re not willing to overspend at back to school time.

This encourages the kids to help save money and gives us a family goal to work towards. Whatever your larger goal, such as saving for college, include your kids in the plan, so you’re modeling responsible financial behavior for them.