Back to School Shopping Secrets

It is one of my favorite shopping seasons.  Okay, it is not nearly as fun as Christmas shopping but the school-shopping season can be a lot of fun with a little planning.  It is that time of year when office supply stores desperately compete for your school supply dollars and with a little wisdom, like the ant you can store up for the upcoming winter.  I was on the hunt for 1-cent (yes, really only 1 penny) tab dividers and notebooks when I came across something for my husband’s business that he had been wanting for a long time.  Armed with my basket of cheap school supplies and my 15% off coupon, I was ready to make the splurge and bring him home a present. 

As I was checking out, the person running the register asked me if I wanted to donate a $1 to children who couldn’t afford school supplies.  The thought of a child having to start back to school without a backpack full of shiny new pens, pencils, and paper almost brought tears to my eyes.  I said yes I would like to donate.  The cashier reaches into a bag and says there is a coupon for $5 off your order available.  I tried to give $1.00 toward a child and I receive $5.00 off my order that I wasn’t expecting! The benefits of giving are not always an immediate monetary gain like I experienced.  You may never see the look of joy on the face of the child that you touched.  Believe me that no act of kindness ever goes unnoticed! 

Here are 7 tips to stretch your school-shopping budget:

1. Start Early – Right now many of the office supply stores offer about 3-5 things per week for under $0.25 each week some are even $0.01.
2. Plan multiple trips – stock up on the cheap things each week instead of trying to knock off your list in one trip.
3. Get in and get out – know what you are going to buy before your stop.  Remember your time is valuable and you are making multiple trips to get everything on your list.
4. Look for rebates/loyalty rewards – office supply stores often like to offer things free after rebate or get 100% back in store credits for purchases.  Free is Free.  Take the extra step to fill out an online rebate or sign up for the store loyalty program.
5. Plan for the year – stock up for your kids, household, and business.  Paper doesn’t go bad.  Better to buy 2 extra notebooks now for $0.10 each than have to go out in March and pay full price.
6. Designate a spot for your stuff – fill your child’s book bag with their stuff for the 1^st day of school and put the extra paper, pencils, pens, and highlighters in a drawer where they can access it as needed during the school year.
7. Don’t forget about coupons – coupons aren’t just for grocery items.  This time of year you will often see coupons online and in the Sunday paper for everything from notebooks to glue sticks.  Pair these with a sale and you can often get these items for free.

Happy Shopping!  I hope this helps you get ready for the upcoming school year.  By using the tips that I listed above I was able to cut our school supply expenses by 77% for our family!