Save Money on Back-to-school Supplies Before You Hit the Shops

A new school year can only mean one thing: shopping for back-to-school supplies such as brand new clothes, stationery and other supplies. But there are ways to save money on back-to-school supplies before you even hit the shops.

Raid Your Children's Wardrobe

Buying children a new wardrobe is automatic for many parents as the new school year approaches. But before you head off shopping to replace last year's clothes, raid your children's wardrobe first to see if you really need to go shopping. Remember the large shirts you bought last year for your children to grow into? Now that your children are older, they will likely fit into the clothes you bought too big for them last year.

Empty out your children's wardrobe and lay out clothes on their bed. Then categorise clothes and place them together with co-ordinating tops and bottoms, look at sizes and get them to try the clothes on to see if they still fit. Discard clothes that are threadbare, with missing buttons, broken zips or clothes that have been outgrown. You may be surprised to see just how many functional items of clothing your children still have to wear.

Go Hunting for Stationery

Pens, pencils, highlighters and other items of stationery are required throughout the school year. Unfortunately, these items can set parents back a small fortune by the time they have purchased everything on the list of required school supplies. Before you head out to the shops for brand new stationery, go hunting around the house for supplies first.

Look in drawers, cupboards, under furniture, and in your children's bedrooms for stationery, and make a pile of your findings. Take the time to sharpen pencils and to check that pens and highlighters are working before placing them inside a pencil case. If there is anything your children still need after conducting a thorough search, make a list of missing supplies. You could end up saving a lot of money on stationery just by searching for what you already have lying around at home.

Pencil Case Solutions

A pencil case will help keep your children's pens and pencils neat and tidy in one central location, but do they really need a new one? Unless your daughter has grown out of her Disney-inspired pencil case or your son has so many ink stains on his pencil case that he needs a new one, do not be in such a rush to buy a new pencil case. Last year's pencil case might still work. If not, get creative.

Invite your children's friends, cousins and others over and arrange a pencil case swap to see if they would mind swapping out what they have for something new. A pencil case swap can be fun for all involved, but best of all, it saves you money!

Back-to-school supplies can drain parents' wallets quicker than you can say "School bus", but there are ways to save before you even hit the shops. Raid your children's wardrobes for clothes that can still be worn this year, go hunting for stationery and encourage your children to re-use last year's pencil case or have a pencil case swap.