You don?t have to spend a fortune with your back-to-school shopping.
Most parents are painfully aware that shopping for school supplies and other school essentials can take a huge chunk out of their budget. In fact, according to the results of the National Retail Federation?s (NRF) 2015 Back-to-School Spending Survey, average families with children in grades K-12 are expected to spend $630.36 on school essentials alone while those with college-age kids are expected to shell out an average of $899 for their back to college shopping. Adding it all up, the total expected back-to-school spending can easily reach the $68 billion mark.
If you cringe on the thought of spending a small fortune for school supplies, clothes and gear, don?t worry. You don?t have to spend that much. You can get everything your child needs without breaking the bank. How can you do it? Here are some tips that may help you accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.
- Round them all up. You may not be aware of it but you might already have a lot of school supplies hidden somewhere around the house. So, roll up your sleeves and go on a treasure hunt! Check closet, drawers and bins to see what you have. With a little sweat equity, you can save a lot of money and reduce clutter at the same time.
- Get the timing right. Be on the lookout for end-of-summer sales. This is the best time to shop for short sleeves polo shirts so snap up what you need and enjoy great discounts. You should also consider buying school supplies on a sales tax holiday to avoid paying sales tax. Most states have them on the first week of August while some have them in July or toward the end of August. In addition, consider shopping after the big back-to-school shopping rush since most items would then go on sale. This simple trick can help you save at least 50% to 75% off the retail prices.
- Know where to shop. If you are seriously looking for great bargains on school supplies and dorm or apartment furnishings, consider hitting dollar stores, thrift stores and garage sales. It may take some time and effort on your part but you can definitely save a lot of your hard-earned dollars in the process.
- Buy in bulk. Consider buying items in bulk when they go on sale in the late summer. You should also consider shopping at wholesale stores to get great discounts. If you can?t use them all, consider sharing the cost with friends and neighbors and divide the items equally among yourselves.
- Use social media to save on costs. Following your favorite stores on Twitter and Facebook can help you find great deals. Most companies reward their loyal customers by sending them advance notice of sales and valuable discount coupons.
There are a lot of ways to save money when shopping for school supplies so don?t stress too much about it. With a little creativity and effort, you can stretch your dollar and get everything you need for less.
