Every summer panic sets in as the school supplies make their way out onto the main floor of your favorite department store. Pretty soon the school supply list will follow and your budget will have to be altered to get your children the items they need to succeed in another school year. Buying school supplies doesn’t have to be the panic it is made out to be. In fact, it can be an entirely relaxing experience that teaches you and your children the value of saving. With a few simple tricks you can have your kid’s off to another year of school while you enjoy the savings on the products that will make everyone happy. Now, when you see the items in the store you sigh with relief that school will soon be starting up again.
1. Look at Home
Our homes tend to accumulate a lot of items that we often forget we have. This can be a major money saving factor when it comes to prepping for school supplies at the beginning of the year. Every year on the last day of school students come home with all of their course work, books and unused supplies. Instead of putting these items in the recycle bin you can always pack them away for the upcoming year. When you finally get your school list then check what you already have before you go out and buy all new items. Usually, kids end up with an unused notebook, pens and pencils with little wear and tear, as well as a backpack in decent shape. This alone could save you hundreds when the stock up time occurs. You might also be able to find crayons or other goods that you would have in the home anyway, such as Kleenex. The more you find around the home the more you will save so don’t feel bad about looking the house over thoroughly before opting to spend more money.
2. Discount Stores
When it comes to shopping for school supplies you don’t have to think expensive. Instead, try to go to your local dollar store, or any discount market, to find what you need. Usually these stores will carry the basics for mere cents in comparison to some of the big name stores. If you’re worried about buying cheaper supplies for your children then try to put that behind you. Typically a classroom takes the supplies everyone brings and divides them between the students. If your child does end up needing more supplies later on then it might be cheaper to replenish their supplies over the winter break. For now, purchasing for every child in the household can be an overburden, so shop as low as possible in order to stretch your money further.
3. Shop Around
School shopping can be a bit tricky, especially when it comes to finding the best possible deals. There will be an abundance of stores to choose your supplies from, so it is incredibly important to shop around first. Luckily, most of the time you don’t actually have to go store to store to shop around which is a huge save on gasoline and time. When you get a chance try to check out your local paper to see who is having sales on what. If there’s stores that appear not to have a sales ad up then take to the internet. You might end up going to a couple stores in person, but you shouldn’t have to spend hours looking for sales. When you know the place you want to shop make sure you get the deal they advertised. Of course, you might end up going to more than one store to find what you need so making a list of the places you want to shop and what you want to get there might be useful.
4. Buy in Bulk
If you have more than one child to supply then it might be wise to buy in bulk. No, this doesn’t mean to buy the biggest crayon box in the store, so please don’t do that. Buying school supplies in bulk usually pertains to other supplies. For instance, you might find a five pack of folders or notebooks that is a better price than buying them separately. You might also find a larger pack of pens and pencils, so go ahead and grab this type of item. When you open the pack you can divide it between the children so that everyone has what they need. Sometimes you might end up with extras which will help you out when someone looses something later on in the year. Paper is another great thing to buy in bulk because you will constantly need to buy that for the kids. With a little bulk shopping you can get everyone prepped for school in no time though.
5. No Extras
There’s a pretty good change that your children are going to want a whole lot of extras when it comes to their school supplies. From characters on folders and backpacks to glitter pens and keychains, there extras can end up costing you hundreds more than you’d like. Extras can be a nice way for children to express themselves, but a lot of the time items such as pencils, crayons, paper and folder are collected and used by all of the student’s classmates. Thus, there is no reason to spend a small fortune on something your child isn’t even going to be able to use. If the child still insist on buying the Spiderman folder or Barbie notebook then offer to pay the price of a regular notebook and have the child make up the different with his or her own allowance. This will teach the child responsibility as well as keep your budget happier.
6. Customize at Home
A lot of kids want to customize their school supplies so they can show off their personality. This is okay, but try to wait until the day after school begins. At this point you will already know if your students is going to be keeping the supplies you bought and if the teacher will allow custom items in the classroom. If both answers are a yes then don’t be afraid to pull out the household’s craft supplies and get to work. One easy way to give your children a custom look is to put their name in glitter on folders and other items. Of course, boys might not be interested in this, so you might want to brush up on cartoon lettering to give your boys a unique look. Stickers are also a great way for kids to show their personality without forcing you to buy the expensive character folders. Whatever you choose to do, try to make sure the household does it as a family so your children will feel like you’re a part of their school life.
7. School Sales
Sometimes waiting is your best bet when it comes to saving money. A lot of stores will actually have huge sales to get people to come in and choose their school supplies. It is usually safe to wait for these sales because all of the stores in town will be competing with one another to get your business. You will find that a lot of these stores will even match the price of the other, so if you do end up over spending on an item make sure to take it in for a price match. Some states will even host a tax free weekend on school items, which generally takes place right before school begins. If you’re not sure if your state does this then you can look online or call and ask local businesses if they take part in the tax free weekend. It might be a bit crazier to shop during these times so you might consider leaving the kids at home while you pick up their supplies.
8. Don’t Buy Everything at Once
Just because you have the long list of school supplies in your hand doesn’t mean you have to get everything at once. In fact, if you want then just buy your child the basics and then wait until school starts. This will allow you to get acquainted with the teacher so you can find out everything your child is actually going to need as well as the time frame they will need it in. If you start shopping a bit earlier you can buy a few items each payday so that you don’t end up spending a lot of the household’s budget on items for school. Timing can be everything when it comes to school supplies so don’t be afraid to sit back and wait. You might also keep a list of items that are and aren’t on sale and shop using the list. Typically backpacks should always be purchased while on sale or else you will end up losing more money on school supplies. Shopping for these items doesn’t have to be a rushed quest, instead you should take your time and buy items when you can.
9. Backpacks
Backpacks are going to take up the majority of the school supply budget, which is why you should shop carefully with this item. It might seem the best option to go out and purchase a cheap bag just to save a bit of money, but this can be a bad money saving decision right away. For children who are still in grammar school it is safe to buy the smaller and cheaper bags because they won’t have to carry a lot of weight to and from school. When your children are at the junior high, high school and college levels then cheap bags are no longer an option. Sure, some of the better bags on the market are pretty expensive which can be intimidating, but when you weigh your options you don’t want to have to keep spending money on bags that will last a couple of weeks when you can just purchase a bag that might last the rest of your child’s educational career. With a backpack expense out of the way your school supply budget will be cut in half every year thereafter.
10. Stock Up
One of the easiest ways to save money on supplies is to keep stocked up. You might have to set aside an area in your home office for your supplies, but it will be worth it at the end of the year. For instance, a lot of the time you can find notebooks for $.15 when you can shopping for supplies. If you buy 10 of these then you’re still not spending a lot of money and you will have backup notebooks for when the price hikes back up to a $1 a piece. Paper is also another great thing to stock up on, especially when you have kids in high school and college. Typically paper is cheap all year long, but a lot of the time it will be ridiculously low at the end of the school year. If you can find deals on items throughout the year then buying school supplies at the beginning of the school year won’t have to be an issue. You might even find that you get to sit back and relax while the masses do their school shopping in a rush.
You don’t have to break out into a sweat just because the school supplies have debuted in your local department store. With these tips you will easily be able to approach school shopping with a zen like grace which can really make this time of the year fun. Your children will be set and on their way with your budget still looking amazing. Now, all you have to worry about is the teacher your child is assigned to this year!
Author: Chelsey McQuitty
