Frugal | Planning Ahead Saves Money on Back-To-School Expenses

Planning Ahead Saves Money on Back-To-School Expenses

Posted by Lynnae on July 31, 2007

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Here on the West Coast school gets out in the middle of June and doesn’t start again until after Labor Day. Still, I’ve been planning for back-to-school since the beginning of July. Schools in other parts of the country start as early as the end of July, so big chain stores like Walmart and Target have their back to school sales shortly after my kids are out for the summer.

At the beginning of July I went online and printed off my daughter’s school supply list. I put it in my purse, and whenever I saw a good sale, I’d pick up the items she needed. We have a month of summer vacation left, and everything is purchased except for a box of Kleenex. I spent around $25 total, which is great, considering she needed more things this year than she ever has before.

One purchase that I didn’t skimp on was a good backpack. For Liz’s first couple of years at school, I bought cheap backpacks from Walmart, but they fell apart by the time the year was over. Last year I bought her a nice backpack from Land’s End, and it’s still in great shape. I’m sure she’ll get at least a couple more years out of it. It cost twice as much as the cheap backpacks, but if she can use it three times as long, it’s less expensive in the long run.

Another way to save is to buy clothing that’s on clearance. In our family we don’t do official back-to-school clothes shopping at the end of August. It’s much less expensive to buy things on clearance when you see it, rather than wait until the last minute. When you don’t have the time to wait for a good deal is when you end up spending the most money. The other day I was at Target, and I saw jeans on clearance for $8.00. I bought all the jeans in Liz’s size, and now she’s got enough jeans for school. If I would have waited a month, buying jeans would have easily cost me at least $14 a pair. I carry a list of my kids’ clothing needs with me at all times. Then when I see something on clearance, I know if I need it or not, and I can buy accordingly.

The key to saving money on back to school expenses is to always keep in mind what you need, so that you’re ready to buy when the price is right. Don’t wait until the last minute, or you’ll be paying twice as much.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Planning Ahead Saves Money on Back-To-School Expenses”

  1. Heidi on August 1st, 2007 10:19 am

    I imagine that the backpack will last for more than 3 years. Another good bet for backpacks is LL Bean.

    I buy all my son’s clothes at least 6 months ahead of time (fall/winter clothes in early spring) etc. I probably pay only 30% of what other people spend on clothes.

    I like Frugal!

  2. boomeyers on August 2nd, 2007 12:23 pm

    My DD3’s backpack from JCPenney has already torn and she just went back on the 17th!!! I am going to exchange it and tell her to be careful. Ugh!

    I stock up at garage sales on pants to. DD3 is currently in 8/10’s and can not wear DD2’s clothes due to different body types. So I went to my friends garage sale and bought her daughters 12’s! Hope they fit, they are slims, but if not, I’ll just resell them for the .50 to 1.00 that I spent.

    Hey, I love the track my progress picture on the sidebar! Cool!

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