Tips To Spending Less On Back to School Shopping 

I don’t know about you, but I love hearing about tips on how to spend less on back to school shopping.

In this post, I am going to give some practical school shopping tips on how to shop smarter and feel good about the purchases you make for your children.

School Clothes

School season is here which usually means your child has grown out of the clothes they wore last year.  Sizes and styles may have changed, and I guarantee your child is going to need some new clothes and shoes going into the new school year.

Go through your children’s clothes and pull out anything that doesn’t fit anymore (or is on the fence).  Get a big box or laundry basket and start filling it up.  

Make a list of what your child needs and his or her sizes 

Take that basket of clothes and shoes to your local consignment store.  

My favorite children’s consignment store is Once Upon A Child.  I can drop off several baskets of clothes and stop back in later to pick up my payout. If looking for something on the list, I will first shop around the consignment store and see if I can find any good deals on some nice items.  Many times there will even be items that are new with tags. 

Other stores to shop at (especially for shoes) are discount stores like Nordstrom Rack, Tjmaxx, Marshalls, and Ross.  These are great places to look for more expensive items and name brand pieces.  They also usually have a better price on reusable lunch containers like kids bento boxes and lunch boxes. 

Shop the sales ahead of time.  Know what sizes your children will be going into in the fall and shop the sales every time you go into a store.  This is called off season shopping! It’s also a wonderful way to spend less in the long run.

For example, purchase extra winter hats and gloves in the spring when they are being marked down and tuck them away for the winter.

School Supplies 

By now you’ve probably received your children’s school shopping list and are already thinking about how to get the best prices on school supplies before they are all gone.  The cost of school supplies can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. 

You can save a lot of money by buying items off of the school supply list at dollar stores.  Some stores may carry the basic supplies, but you have to hit it right.  Shopping there when you see school supplies is a great way to save money.  At times, they carry some brand name school supplies just like the big box stores. 

If you get a head start, look out for the deals on Amazon or well known stores like Walmart and Target.  They usually have a sale at some point in the summer where the school supplies are marked down.  Another overlooked place to purchase school supplies are office supply stores and grocery stores.

Another way to save some money is to keep anything from last year’s supplies that is in good condition and could be reused.  For example; a ruler, pencil sharpeners, pencil cases, calculator, etc. This takes a little preparation at the end of the school year, but it could save you some money, especially if you have several children!

School Backpacks  

If you can, reuse the backpack from last year.  You could even set a rule in your home that everyone can pick out a new backpack every other year.  

If you are going to purchase new backpacks every year (sometimes this is necessary as backpacks get a lot of use!), then set a budget for your child.  Give them options at places where they can find something in that budget.  For example, the discount stores I listed above, or just watch for a sale at one of your favorite stores, including online stores. 

A Few More Tips for the Upcoming School Year

Look for retailers that offer discount codes and free shipping. 

Shop around.  I know it’s not as convenient, but you could shop around for the best deals all summer long.

It’s a good idea to set aside a little bit of extra cash for school purchases such as lunch money, sports fees, musical instruments, year book, etc. 

Other items to keep a look out for during the school year are gifts for teachers.  If you keep your eyes open, you won’t end up spending full price on a nice gift.