While perusing my favorite store the other day I noticed that the store employees were putting up their displays of back to school supplies along with the back to school lists that detailed items that were required at school. Even though summer still has some life in it, the reality that the first day of school is just around the corner can’t be ignored.
Whether you are still recovering from the economic meltdown or just overspent on the family vacation, here are seven tips for saving money on back to school supplies for your kids.
Look for Coupons Online
The vast majority of manufacturers and retailers, both small and large, are hip to the internet and now offer coupons online. You can either visit the individual manufacturer’s or your favorite retailer’s website to find coupons for back to school supplies. You can also visit coupon aggregation sites, like RetailMeNot, to find user submitted coupons found on the internet.
Apply for Rebates/Cash Back
Along those same lines, take advantage of rebates or cash back opportunities. Usually you will find rebates in the store with their associated products. However, if you are internet savvy you can also find them online. If your credit card offers cash back on purchases, pay for the back to school supplies with your credit card and pay the bill off in full at the end of the month. Not taking advantage your credit card’s cash back feature is really like leaving money on the table.
Pool Money with Other Families and Buy in Bulk
Get together with people in your social network and buy back to school supplies in bulk. This is particularly useful if you have a membership to a warehouse store like Sam’s Club or Costco. These places specialize in selling bulk items, like paper and notebooks, at low prices. You can all pool your money together and divvy the spoils at the end of the shopping trip. If you can’t get out of the house, look for wholesalers online.
Search for Free Local Resources
Check around your local area for churches, local clubs and associations, public assistance offices, and even schools that have programs in place for families in need. In bigger cities, especially, many of these places will collect donations of free back to school supplies and distribute them. A few will give the family a voucher to purchase back to school supplies from a local retailer. If you don’t know where to start looking, ask the school administration for recommendations of places you could contact.
Shop at Discount and Second Hand Stores
Dollar stores and second hand shops are great places to get back to school supplies on the cheap. At most dollar stores, small items, like paper and folders, are usually a $1 or less while larger items, like backpacks, may cost $5 or $10 at the most. Second hand stores will be about the same. The only drawback is that the items will be very basic and plain but that’s nothing a few craft supplies can’t take care of.
Reuse What You Have
There is nothing in the rule book that says you must buy brand new back to school supplies every year. Unless the backpack is torn beyond repair or the notebook has been doodled to death, then reuse what you already have on hand. In addition to saving money, you’ll also be doing the environment a favor by reducing the amount of waste that finds its way to the landfills.
Ask Family and Friends for Unused Items
Chances are very good that friends and family members have items that their children are not using or don’t want. Give them a call and see if they are willing to your kids have them or sell them to you for extra cheap. Most people will only be too happy to get rid of stuff that is cluttering up their home and you’ll both be doing the environment a favor.
Bonus #8 Tip – Barter for Supplies
Back before money was invented people used to barter for goods and services. For example, someone would stroll over to the neighbor’s house and give them a bag of potatoes in exchange for a few heads of lettuce. In this time of frugality, you are bound to find someone willing to go into this type of arrangement with you especially if you have useful skills. You can offer to redesign your co-worker’s blog in exchange for a box of back to school supplies for your kids. Or provide free cleaning or laundering services for school clothes.
When it comes to saving money, look at all of the penny pinching opportunities that are available to you. The money you save now could be used to fund your dreams tomorrow.
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