Top 10 Back-to-School Budget Shopping Tips

Before you know it, the kids will be lining up at the bus stop for their first day back to school. That means it may be crunch time in your household for those last minute back-to-school items. But, there's certainly no need to bust the back-to-school budget with expensive purchases or unneeded school items. On the contrary, there may be others ways to check those remaining school supplies off the list and get your kids equipped for the next school year.

Where to start? Check out these Top 10 Back-to-School Budget Shopping Tips. Sure to help you and your entire family get the school year started without breaking the bank.

1. Look for the Back-to-School Sales. August is a great month for back-to-school sales on all kinds of items, from composition books to mapping calculators and more. Shop around for the best deals and discounts. I keep an eye on the clearance rank at Discount School Supply for things like arts and craft supplies, glue sticks, and more.

2. Shop for School Items During Tax Free Periods. Municipalities have gotten involved in making back-to-school shopping less expensive by establishing tax-free periods. Check online to see if you have a tax-free back-to-school shopping period in your local area. Several states and jurisdictions offer families "sales tax holidays" for back-to-school shopping, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas. Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia.

3. Clip Coupons and Use Them Wisely. Keep an envelope handy with coupons to use during your back-to-school shopping. Buy clipping coupons, you can save big bucks on brand-name, high quality back-to-school supplies. Back-to-school coupons are usually inserted into your weekly Sunday paper. Shop online for additional coupon savings. For example, Coupon Cabin has free coupons, promotional codes, printable coupons and deals to over 2800 online stores that can instantly save you and your family 30% and more on back-to-school supplies and other items.

4. Stick to a Budget. A budget will not only save you time and money but will help you and your family avoid impulse purchases which easily can drive up the cost of back-to-school shopping. Keeping a close eye on the budget will also help teach your children learn and understand the importance of managing household resources, important stuff for everyone in the family. Never put a household budget together? Check out Budget Worksheets for user-friendly budget worksheets and other money saving tips sure to help during back-to-school time.

5. Take Inventory of What You Already Have. How do you really know what you need for back-to-school supplies if you haven't checked out what you already have in stock? Honestly, you'd be amazed what you'll find in an old desk drawer or child's playroom. Back-to-school shopping is expensive. Taking an inventory of school items will help you keep costs down and save money in the long run. I know our family has an over-supply of things like pens and pencils so there's no need to add these items to the back-to-school list each year.

6. Buy in Bulk and Don't Over Buy. For families will a number of kids returning to school, bulk buying may be the best way to make your back-to-school budget stretch. Buying pencils, pens, glue sticks, and composition books in bulk will help save money in the long run. But, don't overbuy. Check out Costco (in person) or Dollar Days (online) for awesome deals on bulk back-to-school supplies and more.

7. Stick to the Back-To-School List. Back-to-school shopping can be great fun, but it's too easy to get carried away with unnecessary purchases. While the kids will put the pressure on, it's best to stick to the back-to-school list the teacher prepared for the year ahead. I always begin my back-to-school shopping at Staples. This office supply store is conveniently located and offers a great selection of backpacks, binders, markers, highlighters, paper and so much more. Check out Staples' Back-To-School Center where you'll find volume discounts on school supplies and printable school supply lists by age and grade level.

8. Recycle and Repurpose Your School Supplies. Once you've done your inventory, figure out what supplies can be used in the year ahead. In particular, don't buy additional composition books or paper if you still have good, useable books and paper from the year behind you. Assure your kids that recycling helps the environment over the long run. Check out Recycled Products online for its back-to-school line. But, shop carefully for deals and discounts.

9. Shop the Dollar Stores for Basic School Supplies. Is money super tight this year? Check out the Dollar Stores for things like pencils, erasers and notebooks. Do you have a large household? Check out US School Supply online for super discounts on basic school supplies. The money you save on basic school supplies can be put towards more expensive items like calculators, personal computers and more.

10. Involve the Kids in Back-to-School Shopping. If the kids don't participate, they probably won't want to use the affordable back-to-school items you buy for them. In addition, involving the kids in back-to-school shopping helps them understand the value of a budget and ways to keep the family pocketbook in check. For more information and resources on personal and family financial education strategies, check out the US Mint online.

RESOURCES

Back to School Resources
www.usa.gov/Topics/Back_to_School.shtml

Discount School Supply
www.discountschoolsupply.com

Coupon Mom
www.couponmom.com

Office Depot - Back to School Supplies
www.officedepot.com