The average American family with school aged children spend $594.24 on back-to-school supplies.
[1] With millions of kids, teens, and adults going back to school in August and September, the stores are crowded with people looking to buy school supplies at the last minute and joining this fray can cause you to overspend. However, it doesn't take much to scope out good deals and sales, and the following steps will help you to make budget savvy choices for this year's school supplies.
Steps
The fancier the item, the costlier it's likely to be - Where your child insists on something extra, work out in advance how to respond. You could allow one extra item only, or tell your child that any items outside the required list are to be paid for out of your child's own money.
- Ask your child's school for information on any community programs that are distributing free school supplies. Note, however, that in some communities, this may be only offered to low-income families, so it's likely that you will be required to show that you really can't afford the supplies.
- Talk to your school principal about the school joining the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (USA) or a similar organization in your country. These organizations collect overstocked donations from businesses and redistribute them to nonprofit organizations, like schools.
- Recycle and reuse where possible. Before you even consider shopping, there are lots of good options possible from your home front first. Consider reusing and recycling where possible:
- Go through last year's stationery supplies and salvage what is still good to use.
- Ask other family members what they have that they don't need anymore. Start at home with older brothers and sisters, then ask grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. Even your neighbors might have unwanted stationery supplies.
- Cover all books in recycled paper.
- Wash, clean, and stitch up any tears or holes in backpacks, lunch bags, etc., to give them another year's use.
- Make your own pencil cases, laptop cases, backpacks, etc., using fabric or other materials already stashed at home.
- Make plain supplies more exciting by adding embellishments using markers, stickers, scrap fabric and paper, etc. This can be a big part of the fun of getting the supplies ready to go!
- If uniforms are required, use the school's used uniform distribution system. Most schools with uniforms will have a uniform reuse system in place, and the clothing will be in good condition.
- Set a budget. Knowing in advance how much there is to spare will keep everyone's minds focused on the limits to this spending exercise.
- Withdraw that amount of cash only. Have your children involved in this process so that they can understand the process of budgeting.[2]
- Check the weekly store sale advertisements. Have your child help you find the best prices in catalogs and online - this can be a source of responsible fun for each child to find the best coupon, etc., deals on their needed items, as well as receiving an unstructured lesson in financial responsibility at the same time. Things to keep in mind include:
- Some stores have a "loss leader" category, where they'll sell items at a loss to lure you into the store. If you shop for the items on special on a weekly basis, over a period of several weeks, you can accumulate many of the items on the list at a sale price, provided you're prepared to keep returning to the stores regularly.
- Note that specialist stationery stores can sometimes be the most expensive place to source your supplies from. Do some shopping around to compare prices and ask for discounts if you have seen items cheaper at another store (prefer price-matching stores for this reason).
- Look for upcoming tax-free shopping days to add to your discount. Tax free sales days or weekends can provide big discounts where offered (note that this is more common in the United States and Canada).
- As well as cutting out catalog coupons, print out downloadable coupons or deals that you can only get online. The effort to search through relevant sites is well worth it, as you will find coupons that can be printed, cut out and taken along to the store for discounts.
- Browse through a variety of dollar stores, department stores, stationery stores, and large stores, for the best deals on pencils, pens, notebooks, and other items. Look for no-name brands as well as checking out the sales bins.
- Team up with your child's friend's parents. Use your group buying power to purchase school supplies in bulk at reduced cost. Split the supplies up between you. This is extremely helpful if the children are in the same class.
- Look at reconditioned or last season's options for more expensive items such as laptops or sports gear. If a laptop is required, this is a big expense item. You can reduce the purchase costs by purchasing a reconditioned laptop from a reliable supplier, looking at older models on special, or using a hand-me-down model from another family member who no longer needs it. Try to avoid borrowing a laptop in case it gets damaged or lost, and it's a good idea to insure it.
- Make use of the tax-free sales days when purchasing laptops, desktops, flash drives, and other electronic items for school. You can save thousands.[3]
- Think about trading in old equipment for new or reconditioned. This can be really useful for sports or music gear. Ask your local sports or music store if they have such a system in place, or if they know of a club or other place that can help. Or check out trading bulletins or online sites for other options.
- Try some less obvious places. There are some other supply sources that you might not have considered that are worth checking out:
- Try your local thrift store or charity shop. If you let them know in advance that you're looking for school supplies, they might be able to keep some back for you. Otherwise, rummage through the supplies that they do have.
- Look through online auctions. People often have clear-outs of their stationery items, or things that their children have outgrown. Don't forget to check the craft section as well for things like scissors, glue, bulk items being cleared out, etc.
- If you work somewhere that is getting rid of its stationery supplies (such as for an upgrade, etc.), ask your boss if the spare, unwanted items can be donated to the school as free supplies. Never take stationery from work without asking, however, or you could lose your job for stealing.
- Wait until school goes back. This is a little trickier but with your child's teacher's help or some knowledge of the upcoming timetable, you can find out which supplies won't be needed until later in the school year. Leave off buying these ones until the stores start to move their back-to-school stock into the throw-out sales bins at hugely discounted prices.
- Many stores will start reducing stock as early as a week after school has gone back, so you might not have long to wait; you might, however, have to withstand your child's complaints of "I want it now!". [4]
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Tips
- If a list is not specific for an item, such as the brand of pens, don't necessarily go for the generic brand. Some items may break or wear down sooner than others. If you have used a certain brand in the past, for example work, leisure, etc, use that knowledge to purchase supplies.
- Buying up supplies throughout the school year, whenever you spot them on special, can be a great way to save money. Keep a special stationery cupboard for growing supplies. If you don't use them all up at the end of your child's schooling, donate what is left over. Basics to keep an eye for include:
- Ballpoint pens
- Pencils, colored and graphite, plus sharpeners
- Rulers, protractors, compass
- Lined paper
- Erasers
- Subject folders with pockets
- Highlighters
- Backpack, pencil case, lunchbox
- Stapler and staples
- Scissors
- Glue sticks (note that these have a tendency to dry out, so only buy if they'll be used within the school year)
- Calculator and advanced calculator
- Sports and music equipment (always expensive, so it pays to be looking out for these items going on sale all year round)
- During the year, always keep free pencils, pens, note paper, etc., that you receive from businesses, hotels, etc. and keep these as part of your school supplies stash.
- Suggest that your child trade with her friends. They could pool all of their existing stationery at your house during a "trade school supplies" party with party snacks and drinks the only costs involved!
- If you know someone who has a fledging eco-stationery or other newly formed stationery business, ask them for free supplies in return for sharing information about the business with other parents or your school.
- Consider not buying anything. In the USA, all state constitutions require that children in the state have access to a "free public education." Requiring payment of fees or purchasing of supplies in order to attend public school may be very common, but it is not lawful. Remember, however, that teachers often have to supply items out of their own pockets for students who don't bring supplies. Making a stand when you really could afford basic school supplies can pass this burden on unfairly.
Warnings
- Try not to leave the shopping until the last minute. Sales are offered all through the summer season and even while on vacation, browse through the stationery sections as you select your sunscreen and other vacation goodies. You can usually find room to take home a few extra items of stationery bought at a bargain!
Things You'll Need
- Budget
- School supplies list
- Internet access
- Catalogs
- Transport
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