I can’t believe that kids will be going back to school soon! Time just flies by. Getting everything they need for school can be expensive but I have some great tips if you want to save money on school supplies this year.
Hopefully, these tips can help everyone stick to a budget no matter if you are just getting started or you are almost done with all of your back-to-school shopping. Here is how I do back to school shopping on a budget.
Tips to Save Money on School Supplies
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Shop Your House
The first thing you do before you even head out to the stores, is to shop your own house. Look in all of the closets and backpacks from last year to take inventory of what you already have.
You can reuse calculators, rulers, and even backpacks from last year if they are still in good shape. That is less that you have to buy and backpacks and lunchboxes may only need a quick cleaning and they are as good as new.
My advice is to get a clear storage container and keep all of the school supplies in there. That way at the end of the year, all of the unused supplies can be thrown in there for next year and you will know where everything is.
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Shop the Big 3
The 3 stores that always have the best school supplies deals are Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples. They have great deals on school supplies every week, they usually start after July 4th.
You can get a lot of items for 1 cent! You usually have to make a $5 purchase to get the penny items but that is easy to do if you grab other items that are on sale for $0.25!
Even better, you don’t have to drive all around town to hit up all 3 stores. Staples has a 110% Price Match. So if you find a cheaper price on an item they will match the price and give you a 10% discount!
Plus, if you find a lower price within 14 days of your purchase, they will refund you the difference. The same goes for Office Depot/Max but they will only price match, not give you the extra 10% discount.
Before you had out to the stores, make sure you sign up for their rewards programs. They are free and Staples Rewards gives you 5% in rewards back on everything you buy and free shipping online. Office Depot/Max Rewards gives you 10% back on paper, ink, and toner. Plus, you get special offers and birthday rewards.
Just keep an eye on the weekly ads and shop every week to get the best deals. I suggest going the first day of the ad if it is possible because the penny items go really fast! Hopefully, you have at least one of these stores close by.
Stock Up
Shop for the whole year, not just the first few months. You know you will need a lot of pens, pencils, paper, etc. When you can get those items for under 25 cents, stock up!
This time of year is when prices are at the lowest so get enough to last the whole school year so you don’t have to pay $5 for something that was on sale for 50 cents.
Back to School Shopping on a Budget
Get the Everyday Low Prices
If you don’t have the office stores near you, my favorite places to score everyday low prices is Walmart, Target, and Amazon.
They usually have great deals around back to school shopping time. Check the weekly ads for the best prices and sign up for the Target Redcard to save an extra 5% off your purchase.
Don’t Buy Trendy Items
Yes, the kids love Paw Patrol right now but what about in 6 months? Kid’s trends change so quick that you want to stick to things that are basic.
You can get a plain white notebook that your kids can decorate themselves instead of getting one that has Star Wars all over it. It will be a lot cheaper and your kids can change the look of it whenever they want.
School Uniforms
I have found that you can get the best deals on school uniforms at The Children’s Place. They always have sales going on and check out Retailmenot.com to see the latest discount codes you can add on top of those sales for even more savings.
If you don’t mind your kids wearing gently used clothing, you can check out ThredUP (you get $10 in credit when you sign up) and Schoola ( you get $15 in credit when you sign up) for some great deals on school uniforms. A lot of the items still have the tags on them!
You don’t need to have a kid in school to snag these great deals either. I stock up on office supplies this time of year and I love donating the penny items to my local “School Tools” drive.
If you have any other tips to save money on school supplies please share them below. I would love to hear how you save.
Cathy says
Oh did I ever need to read this!! Great tips and ideas!! I have to buy school supplies this year for three and it certainly adds up! Stopping by from the idea box! 🙂
Cathy
Amy @ Running on Faith and Coffee says
Great tips. As a homeschooler we’re always trying to save the most $$ as we spend a ton on curriculum!
Heather @ Simply Save says
School supplies happen to be buy one, get one 50% off at Target this week too. 🙂 Plus they have all their coupons and the Cartwheel app!
Sue says
Great tips and I like the idea of shop you home. We forget to check what we have so that is a great tip. Thanks for sharing your money saving tips at #anythinggoes
hewella1 says
Hi Sue,
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Rocio Chavez (@yoursassyself) says
I’m all about shop at your house – really taking stock in what you already have on hand helps narrow your true shopping list 😀
hewella1 says
I know! We usually have so much stuff left over from the previous year that I would only have to get half of what I thought I needed!
Meredith@MommyAtoZ says
I can’t believe we’re already talking about Back to School supplies! Where is the summer disappearing to?! Thanks for sharing these great ideas at the Manic Mondays blog hop!
Sherry says
Great tips. We haven’t even started shopping for school supplies or clothes. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday:-)
Cory says
I shop Target and wholesale clubs too.. I do the stock up & save to get the Target $5 gc and save them for back to school shopping, combine with cartwheel, coupons and target red (debit) card I paid .10 cents out of pocket for school supplies for both my boys. I check after back to school at Bjs Wholesale in their office supplies and got 2 pkgs 100 count black pens for $2.. They accept coupons so they ended up being FREE.. I also check clearance through the the yr. To keep things stocked up. My kids reuse their backpack & lunchboxes.. They have JANSPORT which have a lifetime warranty. My boys have had their backpacks 4yrs. I spend on avg $50 a yr on back to school supplies for 2 boys in middle school.