We all know that going back to school means spending lots of money, as school supplies are not cheap! Factor in backpacks, lunch boxes, clothing, shoes, sports gear, paper, pencils, every extracurricular cost known to God, and of course, the endless fundraising (better known as we buy things we really don’t need or want to help our kiddos out).
If you are someone on a budget, back to school can be hard to do, for some even impossible. There are so many great donation opportunities to get school supplies into the hands of deserving children. If you do not qualify for donations or perhaps you are just living on a very strict budget, finding ways to save money is imperative. To help save money this school year, there are plenty of great ways to save.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Thrifting - The first and foremost way to save money on back to school is clothing. Back to school clothing is the most expensive aspect of school. Check out your local resale store, thrift store, second hand store, and/or consignment stores. This year, to save money on my kid's clothing, I took all of their clothing that they have outgrown (or will probably never wear) and took them to the consignment store. Old toys they didn’t play with, home items, basically anything and everything not essential to our daily living was taken to the consignment store. Though it took about a month, I made over $150.00 on items that were just taking up space. That’s $150 towards school clothing or the consignment store lets you use the 150.00 towards in store credit. Before kids, I was never a thrift store person, but by learning how expensive kids clothing can be and that many consignment items are in great condition, I now love consignment stores and honestly look there for kid’s items prior to spending at the big box stores.
- Pack Lunches - The second way to save on back to school is by packing lunches versus buying school lunches. School lunches can be pricey, and sometimes don’t satisfy a child’s appetite. Packed lunches may seem expensive, but if you do a breakdown of cost, it can be cheaper. This is especially true if you shop the sales.
- Shop Clearance Deals - The last way to save money during back to school is to shop for school clothes the year prior. Towards the end of the school year, clothing goes on super clearance. You can get school clothing for practically nothing. This includes the more expensive items like snow boots and winter jackets. I can’t even begin to say how much money I have saved! You know that kids are going to grow, so stock up on 2 sizes in advance, I do this same thing for shoes. To save even more on shoes, check out the sales at Outlet Stores. Nike, Adidas, Skechers, and other brand outlets Shoe stores will do the same sales toward the end of spring to get rid of the fall/winter shoes for the summer shoes. I once bought a pair of Nike for $10 a pair at an outlet store…that’s practically unheard of for name brand shoes.
- Stock Up on Supplies - Watch for stock up prices for their school supplies! These deals can start mid-summer and go until Labor Day weekend! Stock up for their current school list, but also consider snagging consumables, like pencils, paper, etc. that they may run out by January while they are on super sale now! I mean...the odds that 18-24 pencils will last all year is highly unlikely, so plan ahead! Those same packages of $1 pencils will be $3-$5+ by January!
So, to really save the most on back to school, it simply takes: shopping sales, shopping seasons ahead, planning lunches based on discounts and sales, and overall just trying to stay budget savvy. I wish I had a great savings idea for extracurricular costs, but often those are just expenses we need to factor in. Believe me, if I could find a way to make basketball, cheerleading, or hockey cheaper, I would...but alas, the savings I have from everything else, makes paying for these things a little bit easier on the budget.
I hope you can enjoy this last month of summer with your littles. I also wish your children a great new school year. So, give them hugs before they are too cool to let you have them!
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