Top 5 Back to School Shopping Tips

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The summer is ending and many students will be soon headed back to school.  Whether you are starting kindergarten or attending college, it is very important to be well prepared this school year.  Here are my top 5 back to school shopping tips.

1.  Set a budget based on an essentials and non-essentials list

Before you head out to the stores, it is very important to plan your purchases ahead of time.  Developing a budget will cut back on impulse buying and purchasing unnecessary items.

First, make a list of essential items and non-essential items.  Essential items includes things that the child needs; such as supplies on the back to school list,clothing outgrown during the summer, school uniforms, books, and school related technology.

Your second list will be for non-essential items. These are items that are "trendy" and not a necessity.  These include expensive name brand clothing, designer tennis shoes, pricey coats, popular phones, etc.  Usually middle schoolers and teenagers  will tend to desire such products since they are more driven by the media and pop culture.  Wait until after school has started (around October) to purchase such items, as they are more likely to be marked down to lower prices.

2. DIY projects

Revive old items and make them new again with diy back to school projects. There are lots of ideas such as making iPad covers from old composite notebooks, eraser flash drives, etc. found at diy.

Also old clothing can be  repurposed (reused and restyled).  A scarf can be turned into a skirt, t-shirts into scarfs, and jeans into shorts or even a purse.  It only takes some familiarity with sewing to accomplish such tasks.

3. Thrift store haul
There are hidden treasures in thrift stores.  Thrift stores are great places to find some of those items on your non-essential list, those expensive fashionable items that kids often want.  You can even find new clothing that has never been worn at greatly discounted prices.  Most of these items are often a few dollars which make for great savings.  If you have a teen who really wants to be fashionable thrift stores offer great variety.

4. Cross seasonal clothing items

End of summer is often a great time to rack up on cross seasonal clothing items.  These are clothes that can be worn in more than one season or worn all year long even.  Those end of summer clearance sells offer products that can be worn across various seasons. It only takes mixing and matching items and layering clothes depending on the weather.


5. Online Shopping

Online shopping is becoming more popular than ever.  You can maximize your back to school savings by making purchases online. Internet shopping often offer additional online savings to already discounted products. These deals are often not found at the store's brick and mortar location.

I hoped these tips helped you save money for your back to school shopping this year.  Remember to focus on the items needed on your essentials list first and use any money left over to purchase items off of your nonessential list.