4. Start now. Even if your child doesn't go back to school for another month, now is the time to start shopping. Actually, the best time to start school shopping was last year's back-to-school clearance. If you start stocking up for next year at this years clearance (in late September), you will have all the essential supplies such as pencils, paper, notebooks, etc. purchased at 50-90% off. There may even be items for this school year that you can wait to purchase until late September when the prices will come down significantly. Maybe last year's lunch boxes are still in good shape. If you can wait 8 more weeks, the brand new ones will be $2-3 on clearance versus $10-$15 regularly priced.
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5. Consider all your options and compare, compare, compare. There are many places to purchase school supplies and clothing. Some are much more expensive than others but with a little homework of your own, you can find the best buys.
> Hand me downs - gently worn items passed down from older siblings, neighbors or relatives are an excellent way to increase your child's clothing choices at no cost.
> Yard/garage sales - Time to get up early on Saturday morning. Hit those yard sales for great buys on used and new clothing and school supplies. Don't' be afraid to bargain. Most people will gladly take 50 cents for a shirt or pair of jeans just to have it sold and out of their house! Often you will find clothes with the tags still on them that have never been worn.
> Craigslist.org - The wildly popular website, Craigslist.org, is essentially an online yard sale for people in different towns around the country and the world. There are Craigslist sites for many towns and you can click on the link for your town to see what is available in your area. Believe it or not - there is no fee for the buyer or the seller. People list their items to sell with no listing fees. Potential buyers contact the seller and then set up a time to view and possibly purchase the items listed. No shipping fees are usually incurred because you pick up the item in person. Many people sell children's clothing items on this site at bargain prices.
> Clothing Swap - Holding a clothing swap in your neighborhood, religious organization, or club is an inexpensive way to find clothes for your children, share clothes with other families and clean out the kids closets. Give away what the kids no longer wear and take home clothing at no cost that is "new" for your kids. For more tips on organizing a kids clothing swap check out our article Hosting a Clutter Swap and simply apply those ideas to clothing.
> Sales at retailers - There really are great sales this time of year. When you combine the 25-50% off sales, store coupons and tax free weekends, there are very good deals to be had. Remember that some stores will be more expensive regardless of the sales and that some will always be more affordable. Save the expensive store purchases for major clearance sales and stick to the more affordable clothing stores for most of the retail school shopping. When buying supplies, buy in bulk when the deals are fantastic. For instance, the local Staples ran a sale a couple weeks ago for 1 cent folders, sharpeners and 12-packs of pencils. That is the time to stock up on those items for the next year (or two!). They often set maximum numbers that you can purchase on each trip, but you can always stop back in at the store another day that week to stock up again. Search the sales flyers each week during the month before school starts to find the best buys. One store may have scissors on "sale" for 1.50 cents while the store down the street may have those same scissors for only 50 cents. It really pays to compare the different sales. If your store price-matches, take advantage of this option so you don't waste gas driving to more stores than necessary.
> Dollar stores - Although dollar stores can offer some good buys on supplies, remember that during the months of August and September, many office and drug store chains will offer much better buys.
> Cyber Shopping - If online shopping appeals to you, make sure you use a coupon code for free shipping or a percentage or dollar amount off your sale. Sites such as http://www.flamingoworld.com/ offer online coupon codes for hundreds of online stores. Some stores, such as office supply chains, let you buy online and then pick up the items at their location in your town to avoid shipping costs.
> Tax free shopping - Many states offer a tax free days of shopping for school supplies and school clothing. They usually occur in early August. If you combine sales, store coupons and tax free shopping, you can find some excellent deals. To find out if your state offers a tax free weekend, contact your state government or simply do a google.com search for "tax free shopping, name of your state". For example, to learn the dates for North Carolina's tax free weekend, you would go to www.google.com and type in "tax free shopping, NC".
About the Author:
Faye Prosser is the author of "The Smart Spending Guide", December 2005. Her mission is to help others become effective advocates for themselves and their hard-earned money. She teaches people how to budget, reduce debt, and save tremendous amounts of money on groceries and everyday purchases. For more information on "The Smart Spending Guide", the Smart Spending Coupon Organizer or Smart Spending Workshops, visit her website.
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