I have to admit that as my children get older, the school supplies get easier…at least in the school system that they attend. They require fewer school supplies in high school, which makes my life easier and my pocketbook more full.
However, I have always used a method of getting ready for school that not only saves me money but keeps us well stocked for at least a good portion of the school year. But it all begins in July.
I regret not thinking about this last month but school was honestly the last thing on my mind. So perhaps you can take away these ideas for next year.
First, as soon as you can get your hands on your child’s school supply list, do it. Many schools post the supply list early in the summer. If not, you can at least count on certain supplies being necessary such as notebooks, pencils, and folders.
Next, start looking for the sale of school supplies around mid-July, depending on where you live. When I start buying in July, it spreads things out over the summer. This way I’m not spending a bunch of money at one time and I tend to overstock, which is actually a good thing.
As we get into August, I start to do more comparison shopping. I take my children’s school supply lists and combine them. This way I know in total how many binders I need, or whatever the item might be.
Then I start going through the sales ads and writing down which stores have which supplies on sale. For instance, I might see that K-Mart has Crayola crayons on sale for 99 cents. I write that down.
Eventually I will get to the Target ad and I might see that they have the same crayons on sale for 50 cents. Now I know to get them from Target.
I look through every ad and come up with a list of items that will be bought from each store, depending on prices. Sometimes I get most of my supplies from one store and other times I have to make trips to a few stores. But it saves me money.
I also make sure to stock up on certain items like pencils, notebooks and folders. Those tend to be used frequently throughout the school year and this way my children don’t have to panic the night
before when they realize they need something, as I will likely already have it.
I not only make sure they have supplies for school but I double or triple on items that I keep here at home. This includes glue, paper, pencils, markers and the like.
What tips do you have for organizing school supplies?
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Getting Ready for Back to School: Family Calendar
Getting Ready for Back to School: Smooth Mornings
A Smooth Start to the School Year
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