Top 5 Back-to-School Saving Tips

It's that time of year again – where the hot weather starts to cool down and the kids are getting ready to hit the books and go back to school. It's also that time of year where you seem to be weighed down by the surprisingly high costs of back to school supplies! Who knew notebooks could be so expensive? From pens, colored pencils, crayons, notebooks, paper, Kleenex, wipes, sanitizer for school furniture… the list seems to go on and on, contrary to your back-to-school budget. And we haven't even mentioned the clothes yet! According to the National Retail Federation, the average U.S. family spent $635 on clothes, shoes, school supplies, and electronics last year.

Saving on back-to-school products and supplies can be tough, especially when you find yourself in a time crunch. However, if you follow the below tips, you might end up surprising yourself and saving a good amount of money this school year.

Keep an eye on ads

Be sure to keep an eye out for any good advertisements, whether seen on television, while browsing the web, or printed in your "junk mail." You will be amazed at how low some prices can drop during a sale so spend a little bit of time browsing the web for coupons and maybe even break out the scissors and clip some good old fashioned coupons.

Think ahead

See a great binder on sale but your child doesn't need it right this instant? Buy it anyway. Chances are, they will need a binder within the next year or two and you can end up saving money in the long run by purchasing it early for a great price.

Check out secondhand stores

You can find great deals on back-to-school clothing in secondhand stores. Places such as Plato's Closet carry only what's "in fashion" at the moment and clothes are always either brand new or very gently worn. You can save hundreds of dollars on back-to-school clothes by hunting around some secondhand places that your children are likely to grow out of in the next year anyway!

Take inventory

Make a list of exactly what your child needs for school. Things such as backpacks and pencil cases don't necessarily need to be replaced each year so be sure to keep track of what is still in good shape from the previous school year and only purchase what your child needs.

Wait it out
Most items can be found at extremely low prices once school starts so if you can wait it out until the first week or so of school is over, you might be able to find some great deals on markdown items. Buy only the necessities for the first week and wait to buy the more expensive items for the sale.