The cost of school supplies can be shocking for military families, especially if they are buying for more than 1 child.
It’s August and school is due to start again. With a new school year brings the need to buy new school supplies. A lot of schools will provide the school supply list ahead of time. The supplies are based on grade level to make it easy for you to know what you need to buy for your student. The cost of school supplies can be shocking for military families, especially if they are buying for more than 1 child.
Here are 10 ways to save money when shopping for school supplies:
- Compare prices. This might seem obvious but make sure you check and see which stores have the best prices. It might be worth your time to find the best deal.
- Use coupons. Look and see if you can find any coupons for school supplies. This will save you a little bit of cash.
- Tax free weekend. Some states will do this right before school starts. You can save money on taxes by shopping during this time.
- Stock up year-round. If you can know what the school supplies are ahead of time, shop year-round for them when you spot a deal. Even if you don’t find a deal you will be able to spread what you need to spend over months instead of having to spend it all on a single shopping trip.
- Check the dollar store. You should be able to get some of your supplies for a lot cheaper there.
- Shop your home. You probably have at least some scissors, Kleenex and maybe even crayons sitting around your house that you can use for the following school year. When it comes to backpacks, don’t buy a new one unless it needs to be replaced.
- Wait until school starts. This is a hard one for me. I want to be prepared but year after year the teacher requests something a little different from the general list that the school gives out. By doing this you will only buy what is needed and won’t waste money on something that isn’t required by the teacher.
- Don’t go for the fancy stuff. While we were shopping I noticed a big difference in price from a regular blue notebook and one with a character on it. To save money it is best to stay away from trademarked items.
- Register for contests. There will be school supply giveaways either locally or online. Enter as many as you can. You never know, you might just be the winner and won’t have to pay for anything this year.
- Buy in bulk and split them up. Most likely some of your kids are going to require buying the same items. Check and see if buying a 6-pack of highlighters is cheaper and 2- or 3-packs. We have also done this with pencils and glue sticks.
Buy school supply staples, like pencils and crayons, year-round to save money.
School supply shopping can be hard on your budget but hopefully this list will give you a few ideas to make it a little easier for you and your budget.
