MOM’s Back-To-School Shopping Tips

Just do it. Go into your bins, closets, drawers and unveil all those unused supplies from last year. Yes, back-to-school shopping does include shopping so save your money for items you don’t already own! This is the first step in the process, recycle, reuse and reorganized already existing supplies.

Understanding what you already own will help when you draw up that shopping list. Take the school supply list along with the list of must-have’s for starting off the school year. Caolan Madden’s article, “Go to the Head of the Store” narrows down the list of clothing must-haves. The article summarizes the list of back-to-school (BTS) must-haves including 10 pairs of underwear, 10-14 pairs of socks, 6-10 t-shirts, 2-3 sweatshirts, 5+ pair of pants, 1 skirt outfit, 2 pair of shoes, 1 pair of boots, 1 coat for each season. The average budget for all this garb is about $600 per kid. That’s a pretty penny so set your budget, and these days, if you are a smart shopper I’m pretty sure you can come in way below the average amount spent and still get all the necessities.

There are many tips and tricks to saving on your back-to-school shopping. The biggest is to seek out the sales. It is recommended that, if possible, wait to do your shopping over Labor Day weekend when the sales are the biggest. If you are more of a coupon clipper you can find the deals online at Coupons.com, Savings.com, MyCoupons.com and CouponMountain.com. 

If you prefer specific retailers, be a social media savvy shopper and seek out email promotions by joining their email lists, “Like” their Facebook page and follow them on twitter. Retailers are finding that social media is a valuable tool that allows them to connect with their customers and offer them specific promotions. It is absolutely worth it to seek out these opportunities!

If you own a mobile device seek out apps that allow you to scan bar codes that will find you the lowest prices around. For example, RedLaser searches for low online and local prices from hundreds of thousands of retailers. It features product results from Google, TheFind, SDC, eBay, Milo.com, Half.com, and Buy.com. 

Don’t overlook Craigslist and eBay for back-to-school supplies. If you search “school supplies” on either site there’s an astounding number of items that come up. Both sites can offer good quality stuff for cheap. Just try to keep it in mind that it’s smart to stick to name brands for the supply items like crayons, markers and pens since they will likely last longer. You can be a smart shopper by purchasing that barley used name brand name outfit instead of paying full price or mixing in some store brand generic items into the the wardrobe.

Lastly, it is great having a resource to go to when you’re shopping for cheap sneaks. Which one’s are the best??? Well, SHEFinds.com and MOMFinds.com are both fabulous resources that’ll save you time and money in the end. 

To review, here are your HOT Back-To-School shopping Tips

1. Recycle, reuse and reorganize already existing supplies
2. Make a list of must-have’s
3. Set your budget
4. Seek out coupons
5. Be a social media savvy shopper
6. Use bar code scanning to find the best prices
7. Don’t overlook Craigslist and eBay
8. Use MomFinds.com to find the best promotions and values for BTS

Lastly, stick to your list and make sure you have it on you at all times. You never know when you’ll have a few minutes to place and order from your iPhone or find an amazing clearance rack. After all of this, be sure to reward yourself, Enjoy!