Why You Should Be Thinking About Back to School Shopping Now!

Most families are still basking in the summer sun, listening to the waves crash on the beach during summer vacation. Not that we want to get you too much out of relax mode, but we do want you to at least start thinking about summer vacation to help you score extra savings! We are going to share some early back to school tips with you, and hopefully you’ll see the savings start to “rack up” as we say in these parts! You might even save enough to sock extra away for next year’s vacation! If you start your shopping for back-to-school now, you also won’t have to have all that money come out of your pocket at one time!

• Leave the kids at home. You know if you take them along, they’re going to want everything in sight! They’re going to want to go for lunch at McDonalds most of the day, and probably won’t give you enough quiet time to even compare prices (I’m a teacher and a mother, so I feel I can be honest here).
• Make a list.  I know this seems obvious, but the more concise your list (ex. size 8 pants, size 2 shoes), the more likely you are to get what you really need instead of just impulse buying.  I often find that if I don’t stick to my list, I spend way more than I planned, and STILL have items that I need.
• Check your stockpile. I am working on getting better at this, thanks to my husband’s help. There are so many times I go to the store and buy items like ketchup, peanut butter, or something else because I didn’t check my stockpile before leaving the house. You might already have index cards, red pens, or post-its from last year that you forgot about. It’s time to go through the closets and see what you have. Then you can write what you really need on the list!
• Get your teacher’s supply list as soon as possible. The sooner you know what your child’s teacher needs, the less money you’ll spend. Last year my son’s teacher requested specific large-grip pencils for Kindergarten. Luckly, I could use the pencils I bought previously for my own classroom. However, had I been able to get the list further in advance, I could have bought all the specific items earlier (like specific Crayola washable markers, etc.)
• Hit the yard sales now. Summer is the best time to save, even above the thrift stores. Once back to school starts, yard sales slow down, and it’s harder to hit the masses. Now is the time to strike, and score your deals and get prices even below thrift store prices. I have been able to score many shorts and pants in the next size at yard sales, which has saved us SO MUCH MONEY compared to buying at the store. Many of the items are new, or even still have tags! So, I don’t feel the least bit guilty, since many of the items have barely been worn.
• Comparison Shop. As always, search the flyers, and comparison shop. We will have some great back to school comparison here as well, so make sure to check back each week (or even daily) so you don’t miss out on any back to school deals!
• Barter, trade, or hope for hand-me-downs. We have received so many hand-me-downs from dear friends of ours, that we have rarely had to buy our son a lot of clothing at one time. We always go through the hand-me-downs first, and then create our needs list around what we already have. For example, we always add new sneakers to the list, since we often don’t get those as hand-me-downs (Plus they might be a little stinky anways! 🙂 You can also barter or trade with friends who have children in similar sizes. If you’re really ambitious, you can always start a back-to-school swap with your neighbors and friends!
• Utilize online texts if your school allows it. If your child’s school has textbooks online, this is a great way to keep from having to purchase one (if your district doesn’t provide textbooks).
• Take advantage of tax vacations. We live in PA, so there is no Sales Tax on clothing, but some states offer a sales tax holiday. Check out this Kiplinger’s article about which states help you save!
• There’s an app for that. Check out these five price comparison apps and see the $$$ signs add up!
• Go big or go home. Back-to-school season is one of the best times of year to stock up on items for SUPER CHEAP! For example, I can score Crayola crayons for as low as $0.25 at times, and you will NOT see these prices during any other time of the year. Computers are also priced VERY low during this season.  Pencils, pens, rulers, glue, and almost every other school supply will not be this cheap again, so stock up now! For example, my son went through folders like crazy, and I only bought two at the beginning of the year, when I should have bought 10! Instead of paying under $0.50 for them, I ended up paying $2.00 each because I didn’t stock up!

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