In the midst of a pandemic, changed schedules, changed routines, and ever-changing expectations of “normal”, we’re going back to school. And now, maybe more than ever, is a good time to save a little money in the process of shopping for school supplies. So, here’s our Top 5 ways to save a little green during the chaos of preparing to go back to school.
1 – Do a supply sweep.
Look through previous school supplies and cross reference it with the school list your child’s school has posted. Often, you already have a lot of the supplies at home your children will need!
2 – Check out your local consignment shop.
Children grow at such a rapid rate and it is hard to keep up with them. Why spend 100’s of dollars on designer clothes they’ll grow out of in a couple years? Check out your local second-hand store before going to the mainstream shops for brand new duds.
3 – Stop in at the nearest dollar store.
Checking out what the dollar store has to offer is never a bad place to start when looking for supplies. They usually have their own deals going on during the school year and if you’re lucky enough to have one of the stores where everything actually is a dollar, you’re in even better shape!
4 – Coupon, Coupon, Coupon and Coupon.
You can never go wrong with scanning the local ads to see if there are any coupons to cut out. Another way to find coupons is by going online to search for coupons from big-name retailers, or look for online sales. And there’s no better year to shop online than one where a pandemic has changed the way we do everything.
5 – Order commonly used supplies in bulk.
Do you have a Kindergartner? Buying in bulk can save you money in the long run so if you have a few extra dollars, buying notepads, crayons, pencils and other common supplies in bulk makes a lot of sense. And if you have a whole crew to purchase supplies for it’s an even better idea.
We hope this year starts on a positive note. We’ll be thinking of all of the students, teachers and parents who are going back to a completely different world this August. Supplies like masks, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer are the most in-demand supply and it’s going to be a headache to find them. We wish you luck. We hope your children have a good school year, and we hope you’re able to save a few dollars while preparing for it.