Time to shop

In my home office there is a cardboard file box labeled “School Supplies.” The box contains last year’s supplies that can be reused for this school year. I am excited that I won’t have to make a trip to Staples this year. However, most of you are not so lucky. Buying school supplies can be a chore, frustrating (if the store is out of something) and expensive.

It doesn’t have to be this way, if you shop early, visit your local dollar or discount store and even buy in bulk (see special section below) to split with other families “However, that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of available bulk bargains. Going in with a few other parents to split bulk school supplies is a great way to save money, says Trae Bodge, a smart shopping expert at TrueTrae.com. "You can split the costs safely and easily using a person-to-person payment platform, like Zelle," she says. Other apps like Venmo or Paypal allow you to split purchases quickly. Plus, offering to cover the entire purchase on a credit card for your group of friends gives you the opportunity to earn more rewards for freebies in the future.” — Andrea Woroch, US News and World Report

Some other ways to save money on supplies is to shop at home first, stick to the list and buy basics. No fancy glitter pens or pencils with their favorite cartoon character. “Yes, glitter pens are cool and pencils with wacky patterns on them are really fun, but they cost more than basic pens and standard pencils. You will save a ton of money buying the basics rather than the fancy styles. You will want to double check your school’s list of supplies as some schools want only plain colored notebooks, folders, pens, and pencils anyway.” — APersonalOrganizer.com Also, if you have more than one child, combine the lists into one to make shopping easier.

Also consider planning ahead next year and buying items in the off season such as backpacks, lunch boxes and pencil cases. Also, just as your kids received hand-me-down clothes, maybe start a hand-me-down school supply group for big ticket items like binders, calculators, etc.

Now a few in depth tips for bulk ordering…

·      Check at home first for what you have

·      Compare prices (factor in shipping costs)

·      Check in with other families if they wish to share in your order

·      Make sure your kids will use the items purchased and not thumb their nose up at off trend character or print

Check out my Back-to-School Workshop on Sunday, August 21at to learn best pracrices for getting children to do homework, abide screen rules and pick healthy snacks. Regster here.