Back-To-School Shopping Tips – How to Save Big Bucks
One of the things that are always on top of parents heads is their children’s education. Always, the start of the school year is when they have to shell out big amounts of money for school supplies and clothes. And during this period, one can expect more parents’ increasing their stress levels just to make ends meet. However, with proper planning and an open mind, shopping won’t have to be such a chore and the best thing of all is that you get to save a lot of money, too.
Shop at a much later time. Some parents opt to shop months before the start of the new school year. Though the purpose is to avoid the back-to-school rush, the downside of this is you get the old stocks instead of the new ones. Besides, most of the time, school requirements are given on the first day of classes, thus, buying school supplies after the classes have started will be more convenient. Another way to avoid the rush is to buy items during department store down times. This way, you also don’t waste your time lining up to the cashier.
Buy in bulk. If you have several children going to school, buying in bulk is cheaper than purchasing individually wrapped school items such as pencils, bond paper, envelopes, and folders. Another advantage of bulk-buying is it minimizes the times you have to go to stores, thus, you again get to save transportation money.
Buy school supplies in school. These days, you can buy most schoolbooks in your child’s school, thus, you avoid the hassle of going to bookstores to purchase books. If your child also wears uniforms, the uniforms either are available in different sizes or are made-to-order according to your child’s fitting.
Consider hand-me-downs. Younger children usually frown at the idea of them using an older sibling’s things, while the older one gets to buy new stuff. If you will let your children wear used clothing, ensure these clothes do not look so old that using them will make your children look like they are wearing rags. Choose clothes, socks, and other items carefully before you offer the hand-me-downs to the younger one. Be creative in putting together old clothes to come up with an entirely new look. When they see that you’re able to create a fashionable look out of the old clothes, they will surely open up to the idea of them wearing used clothing.