Back-to-School Supplies: The Frugal Way

Looking for ways to save more on your kid’s back-to-school supplies? Then consider the following options:

Shop at Home

Sure a retail store will have all of the items that are on your kid’s school supply list, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy school supplies there. To save money, start your shopping at home. Dig through desk drawers, art supplies and last years school leftovers and you’re likely to find many of the items on the list. To optimize savings dig out all of the freebie pencils and pens that you’ve obtained over the years and pair them with that perfectly good, half-full bottle of glue and last year’s pencil pouch—now you’re on the right track.

Admittedly shopping at home probably won’t provide every item on your son or daughter’s list, but it’s a great place to start.

Shop Year Round

Back-to-school time may be the most common time to shop for school supplies, but there’s no rule that says this has to be the standard in your house. For more savings, shop year round for the items that you know to be school essentials—notebooks, looseleaf, binders, etc. By doing so, you’ll spread the cost of school shopping out over a longer period of time. For the biggest bargains, be sure to shop the back-to-school markdowns in mid to late September.

Also keep an eye out for free after rebate supplies. Office supply stores frequently offer such rebates on pens and other must-have items.

Shop Second-hand

New school supplies are nice, but new-to-you items can be just as nice. To save even more on school supplies, look for lightly used backpacks and lunch boxes at yard sales and thrift stores. You’ll pay a fraction of the price of new items of a similar quality.

At times you can even find people selling their supply surplus. Pocket folders, pencil boxes and notebooks are just a few of the items that you’ll find people eager to unload.

Shop in Your Craft Bin

Inevitably you’re going to have to purchase at least some of your kid’s school supplies from retail stores. To keep these costs to a minimum, purchase plain, no-name items, and then encourage your child to customize them with supplies that you have on hand. Permanent markers, stickers and magazine cut outs are just a few of the many materials that can be used to add a bit of flair to plain school supplies.

Shop in Bulk

Enticed by the 10-cent notebooks and 30-cent boxes of crayons that everyone’s currently selling? At those prices it’s hard not to be. Go ahead and take advantage of these offers by buying what your child needs to start the year and then add some extras to your cart to cover mid-year run outs.

If you have enough storage space at home, it may also be worth buying a bit more for next year. It never hurts to plan ahead!

Shop the Way You Want to Shop

Back-to-school time doesn’t have to be an expensive time. Tweak your shopping habits to suit your family’s needs, and enjoy a low cost school year, this year and every year to come.

-Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a freelance writer specializing in frugal living tips and tricks. Her work has appeared in numerous print and electronic publications including Family Circle, Guideposts For Kids and Pregnancy. As the stay-at-home mom of two young kids, Erin is always looking for new ways to live better for less. For fun decorating and craft project ideas check out Erin's "Trash to Treasures" and "Bead Making Basics" courses at Suite101.com.