How to Save Money on Back-to-School Shopping

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The start of a new school year is always exciting, but back-to-school shopping can cause a serious hit to your budget. Save money on back-to-school shopping with these budget tips. You’ll be able to buy the things you need this year and stay within your back-to-school budget!

Back-to-school shopping used to be my favorite. Now I have six kids to shop for, and the price of everything has gone up, so back-to-school shopping is more of an economics lesson than a fun day out with the kids.

Fortunately, there are some ways to save money on your back-to-school shopping list, and you can probably even have a little fun in the process.

Wait until after school starts to shop

Unless your school provides you with a shopping list before the first day of school, wait to go shopping until you know exactly what you need to buy. This will save you from buying anything that looks like a good deal and having it sit unused (hello, cabinet full of single-subject spiral notebooks that I can’t get anyone to use).

Having a shopping list will drastically reduce the amount of stuff you buy and prevent extra trips to the store to grab all of those things you forgot.

Don’t want to wait? Create an Amazon shopping list as you think of things that you need to buy, and set up a price alert through Honey. You’ll be notified when the price of any particular item drops.

Buy what you need

This may seem obvious but when you start winding down back-to-school aisles filled with unicorn pencil boxes and erasers that look like food even I want to throwing everything in my cart. Limiting your back-to-school shopping trips to exactly what you need will obviously keep the cost down but it will also limit the amount of clutter you have to deal with.

Shop Online

Traditionally many people like to turn back-to-school shopping into an outing so they can browse the aisles of the local store, but many times, you can find better deals by shopping online. One of my favorite things about online shopping is that you can easily compare prices between stores to cut costs.

Take advantage of apps like Rakuten, which gives you cash back on purchases. This extra cash can really add up over time, and they also offer online promo codes to save you additional money.

Join our Deals for Families Facebook group to hear about great online sales.

Skip the new clothes

New clothes may be on nearly everyone’s back-to-school shopping list, but what if you skipped it this year? The clothing deals in the fall aren’t usually the best out there, and chances are your kids already have clothes they can wear.

I will often skip shopping for clothes completely in the fall. Sometimes I’ll get my kids a new shirt so they have something new for the first day of school (although no one ever said the first day of school required new clothes). Instead, shop when you see things on sale.

The day after Christmas is often the best day of the year to shop for clothes, or you can shop in the off-season to find better prices.

If your kids genuinely need new clothes before school starts, check out these tips for back-to-school fashion on a budget.

Join Local Free Groups

You may be surprised at what you can find for free. If you have a Freecycle.org group in your local area it can be a fantastic resource to get items like gently used backpacks or excess school supplies.

Check local Facebook groups for similar options. You may be surprised at what is out there. Last year I was gifted a giant back of nearly new binders in several sizes from a retiring teacher and it has kept my kids stocked for several years.

Don’t forget to give back to the groups you join. You probably have school supplies that have gone unused or outgrown clothing you can gift to someone else.

Buy Back-to-School Gear that will last

It may seem counter-intuitive to buy higher-end products when you are trying to save money, but sometimes it is worth the cost based on what you will save long-term. I prefer to buy fewer things but get better quality items so they will last longer.

Here are a few places it’s worth buying higher-end back-to-school gear:

• Backpacks – I avoid those cheap plastic backpacks like the plague because you KNOW they won’t last more than a year (if that). I usually go for backpacks from camping or skating brands because I know they can take a beating. My son has this backpack, and I suspect it will last him at least five years or more, which will save me a ton of money because it still looks brand new after over a year. His last backpack made it about 7 years because we went with a sturdy camping brand.
• Calculators – If your child needs a fancy graphing calculator, buy the exact one they ask for. Don’t ask questions. Just look for a deal. Having the wrong calculator will likely cause issues for them later in the year.
• Shoes – Good quality shoes will last longer, but also they are much more comfortable to wear, which is important for kids who are always on the go. I still look for a good deal, but I’ve been able to find great prices at outlet sites for name-brand shoes.
• Pens and pencils – I know that pens and pencils tend to get lost but, let’s be honest, some of them write better than others. I’m team TICONDEROGA pencils All THE WAY. Pens don’t have to be expensive, but I find that the name-brand ones are a lot smoother to write with.

Buy Refurbished Tech

If you have any tech items on your school shopping list, consider buying refurbished tech to save money. These devices are usually thoroughly inspected and repaired and can be much cheaper than buying new.

Best places to buy refurbished tech:

• Best Buy Refurbished Tech
• Amazon Renewed – Refurbished Products at Great Prices
• Apple Refurbished

Look for local resources

If you are really struggling to afford school supplies, there’s no shame in taking advantage of any local resources you have available. Some businesses donate school backpacks filled with supplies. Churches may have donations available. Talk to your local school and see if they are aware of any resources to help you get the supplies you need for your kids.