I just finished purchasing school supplies for my 3 girls.  Talk about a beating for both my and my wallet!   Wow!  Normally I buy them through the school so now I know and forever more will buy them via school.  Well, Kelly Wilson has some great helpful ideas and while it may be too late for a few of them for this year, who says you cannot teach us old dogs some new tricks, hmm?

Guest Blog by Kelly Wilson, an editor for Teaching Resource Center.

Your child’s school supply list may cause you some stress, but it doesn’t have to. Use the following strategies to find the best deals and avoid straining your budget!

Before You Go

Grab the school supply list that you received from your child’s school (if you haven’t gotten one yet, give the school a call and ask how you can get one), and check for school supplies you might already have around the house. Some of these supplies include scissors, pencil boxes and bottles of glue, among other things. If the supplies are in good working order, have your kids reuse them during the upcoming school year and cross them off the list. Mark the supplies with your child’s name and set them aside in small box or tote.

Before you head out to shop for bargains, sit down with your child and discuss the list and the budget. Decide before you go what you’re willing to spend money on – my kids already know that I won’t be buying lunchboxes since we have a variety of them still in good shape. If my kids want a new lunch bag, they will have to buy one themselves. It will help save your sanity if your kids have this information before going to buy school supplies.

Compare Ads and Use Coupons

Take your school supply list and look through the store and manufacturer coupon ads found in the Sunday paper. Write down the best price you see for each item, along with the name of the store.

To save more money, combine a store sale or coupon with a manufacturer coupon. While looking through manufacturer coupons in the Sunday ads, cut out and keep any coupons that can be used for school supplies. See if you can match them with a store sale. Another resource involves internet printable coupons. Search the web for specific items, such as “coupon for Sharpies,” to see if there are coupons you can print and use with a store special.

Shop All Summer

You may not find everything you need the first time you go out, and that’s actually a good thing! As summer winds down, keep looking through the Sunday ads and manufacturer coupons, combining sales and coupons whenever possible. Garage Sales are also great places to find school supplies at a fraction of the cost, and many times they are brand new.

Once school starts, take advantage of your freedom from your children to look for clearance stickers on school supplies at your favorite stores. You may still have manufacturer coupons that will work with these clearance prices, getting even better deals!

Keep your list of school supplies with you, making sure to mark off items as you purchase them. These strategies take a little more time and attention, but they will save you a ton of money!

Kelly Wilson is an editor for Teaching Resource Center, an excellent source for <a href=”http://www.trcabc.com”>Teaching Materials</a> and <a href=”http://www.trcabc.com/category/resources/”>Teachers’ Lesson Plans</a>.

Kelly Wilson

Teaching Resource Center

www.trcabc.com

Kelly.wilson@trcabc.com