Back to school sales can be really tempting, especially if you’re in a hurry to grab all of the things you think your child is going to need for the upcoming school year. With lots of sales to choose from, it may be hard to resist getting everything you need right away. However, some back to school sales aren’t exactly the best, which can leave you spending even more money than you would have expected to. Although it is okay to shop these sales, there’s a few items you should consider avoiding if you plan on saving some money this school year. This quick list will show you everything that isn’t budget friendly, so you don’t have to stress over spending too much!
1. Cheap Backpacks
One of the most popular items on the back to school list is backpacks. You can easily find a cheap backpack on sale that will suit your child for now, but there is a major problem with buying into this sale. That problem is, the backpack, like the price, are also cheap. If you have a younger child, then they may be able to get away with having only one of these backpacks throughout the school year. However, once your child begins to carry around text books, you’re probably going to have to buy two or more of these cheap backpacks a year, which can really cost you some money. This is especially true if the cheap backpacks aren’t on sale after a certain period of time. This can run you a lot of money, so you may as well take the money you would use here and spend it on a backpack worth buying. Make sure you check the seams and other assets to ensure the backpack you pick is going to hold strong.
2. Specialized Items
Most children are going to want to go for the specialized items if they get their choice in the matter. The only problem is most teachers want you to have certain colors for the items they pick, so you’ll be buying these items for nothing. Also, specialized characters quickly go out of style, which could leave your children begging for new items before the first term is even over. Generally, backpacks and other items made with characters aren’t as strong as regular items either, so you may end up replacing them even if they are accepted by the school. These items are more of a target for theft too, which could be a problem if your child’s school doesn’t offer secure lockers. So, it is simply easier and cheaper to give your child a solid colored item just to make life a little easier.
3. Autumn Fashion
When it comes to back to school shopping, there’s going to be lots of new fall fashions already on the sales rack. This doesn’t mean these items will be on sale though. In fact, when it comes down to it, these items are usually strategically placed near the items that are on sale, like near the jeans section. This is to tempt people into making the purchase even though the price tag isn’t actually a sale. These clothes will go on sale in the mid-season, but until then they will be a high price that isn’t great for smaller back to school budgets. Not to mention, your child may not even need to wear the autumn clothes for a month or two, so it may not even be wise to choose these options right now. Instead, look around for staple clothes like pants, jeans, skirts and tops that can be worn no matter the season.
4. Expensive Pens/Pencils
When it comes to classic items like pens and pencils, there’s never any reason to buy your child the most expensive items on the market. Most kids wind up losing their pens and pencils more often than not, so you could simply be throwing money down the drain. Some teachers also may not want your child to use certain inks, which could also be a waste of money in the long run. The best thing you can do is grab a bulk container of pens or pencils. These tend to cost less than one of two packages of the expensive brand and will last your child much longer as they can be lost without fear of losing out on lots of money. Mechanical pencils are another thing to avoid when it comes to school purchases. Sure, these items may seem cool to your child, but they can be hard to upkeep. Some pencil lead for mechanical pencils can cost way too much, which makes it hard to keep up. Not to mention, the lead easily breaks or can be lost on the ground. Some teachers won’t let children use the pencils, especially when it comes to testing as the lead cannot work with scantron readers.
5. Too Many Clothes
Back to school sales are designed to make you want to shop until you drop. So, many school children wind up coming home with new school clothing that could last them a month between washings. You don’t have to go crazy over clothes when it comes to these sales. Try to stick to just the essential items at first and then if you really feel the need to add to the pile then toss in a couple of the items your student may like. Many students start school out with a brand new wardrobe, even though there was nothing wrong with the old wardrobe. The only problem is; kids outgrow clothes incredibly fast. So, half of the items you purchased may not end up making it through the first semester. Instead you may want to buy an item or two throughout the year, so the wardrobe stays fresh and your child will have clothes that fit properly. This will also save you money, because you will be strict enough to know you can only buy a few things.
6. Advanced Supplies
Most parents want to make sure that their child has everything they could possibly need to become a success in school. So, they will buy items like calculators, graphing paper, compasses and other supplies that may not even be necessary. Worse yet, none of these large ticket items will even be on sale during the back to school sales, so you’ll wind up spending a whole lot of money on them. The best option is to wait for your child to begin school. This will help you know if you’ll even need these items at all. Many schools will actually loan out calculators and other supplies like this to help children succeed in classes. If, for whatever reason they do not, you can usually find these items on clearance as soon as the back to school stuff hits the clearance racks. This should help save you some money and help you get exactly what your student needs, so you don’t have to turn back and return it if the teacher complains.
7. Name Brands
For many, name brands mean high quality, but these days that really isn’t the case. There’s lots of generic brands available that will do the exact same job as the pricier name brand items. These items also cost a whole lot less and offer you more savings when you hit the back to school sales. Even if you’re not keen on these items, you may want to consider if your child will even get to use their back to school items. In many classrooms, especially in the early years, students are forced to share the items they bring to school so it may be pointless to even buy the expensive items. This is especially true when it comes to tissues as most classrooms take these items on the very first day and keep them for all to use throughout the year. So, you may want to skip the name brands as much as possible.
8. Extras
When it comes to back to school shopping, there’s a lot of extra items that you may think your child needs. From bouncy erasers to tape dispensers, your child could make out like a bandit if you’re checking out all of the extras on the back to school rack. The best thing you can do is avoid this section altogether though. Most teacher will consider any extras a toy and send them home straight away, so you’ll have a whole lot of extra items to contend with that will probably go unused. Some items are even banned from schools or illegal for your child to have. White out and permanent markers for instance could send your child home for the day if their school is particularly strict. So, you may want to skip the extras for now and simply follow the list you were given.
9. Non-Shareables
If you have more than one child in school, then bulk buys are probably your best friend. However, you should be careful which items you buy in bulk though. Usually paper, pens and pencils are the best possible items to buy in bulk. The package can be opened up and split between each child with a few items to spare for later in the year. Items like crayons, markers and colored pencils should probably be avoided though. These bulk buys do come with numerous items, but they also have a wider variety of items. So, there’s no way you would be able to give each child the colors they need, unless you find multiple packages in your bulk buy. Thus, carefully choosing when bulk items are going to help you out is sure to save on your budget and make your school budget stretch even further.
10. Dorm Decor
A lot of back to school sales now include items for college kids headed to the dorm. A lot of these items can come in handy, but you may want to consider skipping the dorm room decor aisle for the time beginning, especially if this is your student’s first time in a dorm room. Many people have an idea of what their student will need for the dorm, but when they see the room for the first time they also realize that there’s simply not enough room for half of the items the picked out. The best thing you can do is wait until you get to see the dorm room for the first time before you make any decisions here. This will give your child the time to get a feel for what they may need or want as well as how their roommates are going to react to their decor items. This will save you a whole lot of money anyway, as the items should have already made it to the clearance section before you make that choice.
Shopping for back to school items can be pretty tough, so don’t stress over it. There’s lots of great ways for you to save a pretty penny while allowing you to enjoy the buzz of a new school year. So try to enjoy the back to school shopping instead of simply stressing out over all of the money you’re spending. Before you know it, you’ll find that your child has everything he or she needs without forcing you to spend a whole lot more.
