A new school year is coming and it's time for everyone to buy everything before class does. School supplies, new backpacks, new clothes, laptops, computers, ... are some essential back to school checklists. In fact, shopping for back to school essentials without any plan is easy to overspending.
Don't worry too much! There are some ways to save money on back-to-school supplies.
Here are 7 smart money-saving tips on back to school expenses. Let's discover this in the below article.
1. Make a back to school shopping list
This is the top money-saving tip on back to school expenses. Take time and make a back to school shopping list of all the essential items you need to buy. Start with the school supplies that are really needed. In this way, children have to calculate accordingly, buy enough to avoid waste, and choose the really necessary learning tools.
Then consider buying a new backpack for your kids if they have an old backpack from the last year. Parents can also teach their kids to know how to make a school budget plan early.
2. Make use of old school supplies
After making a list of school supplies to buy for the new school year, sit down with your kids and determine what old-school tools still can be used. Instead of buying all the things your child likes, teach them how to save money with these little lessons.
For example, if a pencil is broken in half, use a pencil sharpener to turn it into 2 pencils to use.
3. Hunt for student discounts
Using student discounts is a great money-saving tip on back to school expenses. Every year, retailers around the world offer numerous student discounts on various products. Retail website Brad shows that there are about 270 stores in the US that offer 10-20% discounts for college students.
In addition, the opening season is the time when technology store chains open a lot of great back-to-school deals for new students with product lines of laptops, iPads, and mobile phones. Actively looking for the top student discounts will help you to have more options and determine how much money to spend.
4. Take full advantage of promotions
In back to school season, thousands of online retailers like Amazon and stores offer a wide range of back to school deals and sales. They provide many discounts on school supplies, school backpacks, clothes, laptops,... Therefore, parents should also take the time to learn and monitor which brands or bookstores have back-to-school promotions to buy needed things and save some money.
5. Buy school supplies at reputable retailers/stores
Along with taking advantage of attractive promotions, parents must also be very wise in choosing where to shop. Don't fall into the trap of promotion advertising. You are easy to buy poor-quality products.
Ideally, before choosing to buy any school supplies, parents must carefully find out if the origin, and quality control system of the product is safe for children or not.
In addition, to avoid buying fake goods, parents should also choose to buy reputable stores, bookstores, supermarkets, and stationery stores. Avoid buying poor-quality school supplies because it will greatly affect your child's health.
Some best reputable retailers that offer back to school sales 2023 are Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and more.
6. Online shopping is always cheaper
Online shopping is another money-saving tip on back to school expenses. Today online shopping is in every corner of the world and you can easily buy everything online and deliver it to your home.
The price of an online store is always cheaper than the ones at an offline store. Moreover, online stores often provide attractive promotions for shoppers. You can save 10-30% off all orders or get free shipping on any order.
Major stores like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy may publish more back-to-school deals as Labor Day Sale approaches.
7. Shopping early
The back-to-school season is always a time when school supplies are pushed to higher prices due to increasing demand. If you're looking for a way to get the best school supplies for the lowest price, shop the summer. Don't wait for back to school.
Major retailers like Target and Walmart in the US usually sell school supplies in the first week of August with discounts ranging from 20-60%.
Also, when shopping early, you have much time to make a list of essentials and avoid buying unnecessary products. Plus, when you are not sure about the selling price of products, compare and check prices on several online shopping sites to understand the floor price and select the best product instead of choosing a random one.
Final Thought
In conclusion, the above are the 7 best money-saving tips on back to school expenses. Hopefully, you can refer and buy everything for a new semester with a tight budget. With some careful planning and saving tips, you could save for back to school budget for 2023.