It is almost the end of summer. That can mean a number of things, but for many parents, that means that summer break is nearing its end, and the new school year is going to be here before you know it. But before you can send the kiddos back to school, you will have to do some back to school shopping. Here are some great tips to help you shop for back to school supplies with $100 dollars per child.
How to Shop for back to school supplies with $100 Per Kid
Budget for Supplies and Attire
When people think of back to school shopping, their thoughts generally turn instantly to pens and pencils, markers, crayons, notebooks, and binders. Back to school shopping can also include shopping for clothing and shoes as well, to replace the worn out attire from last year, or even just to prepare for the change in the weather. So, before you pack up the kids and head out to load the shopping cart with hangers of outfits and boxes of markers, be sure to make a budget first. Keep priorities in mind when budgeting. Make sure your everyday essentials are covered before you load up on numerous pairs of shoes and outfits.
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Be on the Lookout
The weeks leading up the new school year are often full of great back to school deals on a large variety of school supplies. You should definitely be keeping an eye on the ads to purchase supplies at the best price you can find, but you should also be on the lookout for unadvertised savings! Many times stores will randomly lower prices for various reasons and simply mark the items with special signage. My go-to stores again are Target, Walmart, Shopko, and KMart watch online as they may have specials the stores do not.
Shop Consignments
Some people are hesitant to step foot in consignment stores, however, most areas have at least a couple of consignment stores that accept only the nicest, or newest of items. Before dropping a large chunk of change on just a few brand new articles of clothing, check out your local consignment shops! I have found some awesome deals at these shops. If you have them, try Savers, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Sawp.com etc. These are my first stops.
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Do Not Over Buy
If you love a good deal, you may find yourself buying more than what your kiddo actually needs. Just because you come across a fantastic deal on markers, does not mean that you have to empty the shelf. Only purchase what is necessary. Doing so will help you stick with your budget and prevent you from having to skimp on other supplies or attire.
What other tips do you have that you can share to keep costs down for back to school supplies?
Stacie says
These are excellent tips. There’s no way you can get out of shopping for school supplies, but at least you can save!
Amy says
I think I spend about this amount on each kid including their clothes. I try to buy things that do not cost more than $5 max!!
Rebecca Bryant says
I am always amazed at the cost of school supplies. These are great tips for helping to stay on a budget.
Jeni Hawkins says
Great ideas! I love that you added consignment stores. That’s a great, frugal way to really get the best bang for your buck, especially with kids’ clothing that they will grow out of so quickly!
Marcie W. says
I am loving these suggestions! We are planning to start back to school shopping this weekend and with three kids I need all the help I can get.
Keikilani says
It can be easy to over spend at the beginning of the school year. We always take inventory of everything that is still in good shape from last year. Not every child needs a new backpack if theirs in still in good shape. etc… I don’t mind buying them new things throughout the school year.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I haven’t had to buy school supplies in years. I never counted clothes for the school year in with supplies and they sure did always drive the cost way up.
krysta;l says
I was able to get everything for school last month – shopped early, watched sales, and now we are all organized!
Rachel says
I’m hopefully not even going to buy my kids uniforms this year. We have it set up at school that you donate your old uniforms and pick out new ones.
Heather says
We’ve shopped for the back to school supplies, but still need to grab a few more clothing items. Great ideas for not making the school season break the bank!
Reesa Lewandowski says
These are great ideas. This year, I got smart and am picking up things as I see them mega cheap all summer long.
Angela Ricardo Bethea says
I personally dont have a kid in school like this yet but will share this to my friends who does. I can only imagine how much I have to budget when my 8 month old starts schooling someday.
Bianca Dottin says
These are great tips! My daughter’s school supplies only cost $40 this year, backpack and all. Shopping online definitely helps you to not overbuy.