I mentioned last week that Back to School sales are in full swing right now and we will probably see these deals until about mid August when they start to fade away.
Some of you might not be ready for Back to School deals yet but I have two excellent reasons for you to get on the ball early this year:
1. To Save Time
2. To Save Money
The thing with back to school shopping is that the stores tend to start these sales so early and by the time you are actually in Back to School mode the prices jump way up and the stores are totally wiped out.
I find that the school supply aisles are fairly quiet when the deals first begin and then as the weeks progress it starts to get pretty crazy. I shopped the week before school started last year and let me tell you, Target was a madhouse. Who needs the stress? I certainly don’t want to gear up in shinguards and a helmet to try and fight my way through the folders and pencils this year.
So here are a few tips to help you really maximize your Back to School Savings:
1. Shop Early. I really encourage you to get those Back to School lists as early as you can. Many schools will have them available in the office or somewhere on the school web site. You can also look for school Facebook pages or just call the office and ask. If a school is really late in getting the lists up, the more parents that inquire the more likely they are to get it together.
And another tip- if you have a tight budget you might plan to just grab a few things each week rather then one big trip. This takes a little more time but if you want to spread out your expenses, this might be a great strategy for you.
2. Plan Ahead. When you are making your supply lists you might look beyond the classroom lists. Think about the supplies your family needs for the year- envelopes, notepads, staplers, post its, pens etc… just things you might need around the house. Extras for the children are great to plan for as well- Crayons, art supplies, glue etc… Christmas will be here before you know it and now is the time to get a few rolls of tape or some fun art supplies to tuck into stockings. You might also consider any outside activities that your children are involved in- markers to label sports equipment and so on. Save some time and get all the things you need now.
3. Avoid Temptation. I find this time of year it is easy to overspend and overshop. When I see Crayons for $.25, I tend to buy 10 boxes while we might only need about 2. These types of things have a way of piling up and creating a lot of clutter in the house. I try not to get too carried away with the great deals and I just get what we actually need. (And of course school supplies are wonderful for charity drives or donating to schools- so if you do overbuy this is a great way to bless others with your smart shopping.)
4. Price Match. A huge time saver in school supply shopping is to price match when you can. If you live near a Staples or Walmart or Target, you can collect the ads for the week, circle all the items you want and head into one of those three stores and price match all the deals. The important thing to note is that you can typically only price match identical items- so you want to stick to the big name brands like Elmer’s or Five Star or Crayola. If it is a store brand or no name item (say pencil boxes) you might not be able to take advantage of a price match.
5. Focus on Bigger Ticket Items. I try to focus more on the items that are going to be the bulk of our budget- backpacks, clothing, electronics and accessories, binders and so on… Unless you have a huge family or large supply lists the smaller items might not always be worth an extra shopping trip. For example Crayons tend to go as low as $.25 per pack and are on sale for $.50 per pack for almost the entire Back to School season. If I need (2) packs of Crayons total, I might just grab them at $.50 and save myself some trouble.
6. Invest in Quality. Quality is something that is important to me. I consider quality in addition to prices and often it is worth it to spend more and get something that will last. With backpacks my kids tend to be pretty hard on them so I like to shop at places like Land’s End where I can a guarantee on the product.
7. Buy plain and customize! Typically the less expensive notebooks, binders, book covers etc… are the plain ones and not the fancy ones with characters and glitter and such. Try buying the plain items and get a few fun markers, Washi Tape, stickers etc… and let the kiddos customize. Craft stores offer coupons weekly or check the scrapbook section of your local Target and Walmart and they often have really fun supplies (you might even get lucky with a clearance sale.)
8. Check for Coupons. Often stores will pass out coupons- for example Target offers printable coupons or they offer mobile coupons for tons of items. The brands themselves will often offer coupons as well- Five Star/Mead, Bic, Zebra, Roseart and Crayola are all brands that regularly offer coupons via Facebook pages or in the Sunday newspaper. Those can lead to big savings.
And a few more tips for you:
Where to Shop for the Best Deals. I like to focus on the large stores like Target or Walmart, the office supply stores (Office Max, Office Depot and Staples) and the drugstores. Typically Walgreens is the most aggressive with school supply sales but CVS and Rite Aid do have deals here and there. Toys R Us will often offer some good deals on backpacks and Crayola items. The stores really want your Back to School dollars and they will offer big loss leaders to lure you in. Just grab the items that are on sale and try to stick to your list. Watch for any sneaky fine print- I often find penny deals at office supply stores have lots of fine print. Those offers usually require a minimum purchase so if you don’t see other things you need, they may not always be the best deal.
How Do I Know If It is a Good Deal?
You can see the Back to School Stock Up price list. This has some general guidelines to the best prices we tend to see on various supplies. This should give you a great idea on when to pull the trigger on the items on your list. I put all my supplies in one large bag and keep all the receipts until school starts. If you find a way better deal as the season progresses, you can always return your merchandise!
Happy Shopping!
PS: If you want to get some fun lunchbox ideas for Back to School- head over here.
Sylvia says
Thanks for all these tips!
Renee A. says
Thank you for all these tips. My first child is going into Kindergarten this fall. This rookie school parent appreciates your knowledge and research.