Ten Ways to Save Money on Your Family’s Back to School Shopping

1) Check your inventory
Believe it or not, you might already have some of the supplies you need. Take an inventory of your drawers or school supply closet and you may find that you can check some items off the list for this school year.

2) Budget
Use this as an opportunity to talk to your kids about budgeting and stretching your money. Explain how culture may market the trendy, brand-name items, but you can buy the less expensive supplies and spend the money saved elsewhere.

3) Have your kids help earn the supplies
While you’re teaching a lesson on budgeting, have your kids help “work” for the supplies as well. If they want a pricier, brand-name item, have them do household chores or mow lawns in order to save up the money for the supplies. Involving them in the process will teach them how to be responsible for the items that they worked hard to earn.

4) Use a cash envelope system
Once you’ve set a budget, use cash instead of credit cards. Using cash will help you keep an eye on your spending and stick to your budget.

5) Become a “coupon mom”
Pull out the newspaper and clip those coupons! You can find many deals on back to school supplies. If you don’t feel like driving anywhere, you can also find back to school coupon codes for shopping online.

6) Sales tax holidays
Check to see if your state has sales tax holidays. These holidays are usually held in the weeks before school starts. Often you can find out if you are eligible by checking online. You can look for your state’s sales tax holidays here or find out more about sales tax holidays here. You can save a lot of money on essential supplies or that new school laptop that you need.

7) Shop at stores that price match
If you need to buy something at a specific store, you can always call to see if they do price and coupon matching. Otherwise, go to the stores who you know will do this in advance.

8) Shop in bulk
Often when buying bulk you can save money in the long run. At the end of summer when items go on sale, stock up on pencils, crayons, and glue. Buy enough of these items to get you through the entire school year. Chances are, if you buy in bulk, then you may have some of those essentials left over for next year’s shopping as well.

9) Check social media for discounts
Many of the stores carrying back to school supplies are now offering discounts and coupons on social media. Follow your favorite stores for updates and giveaways. They can also notify you of events and sales if you get on their notification list.

10) Get on your favorite store’s phone list
While you’re browsing social media sites for discounts, see if you can get on your favorite store’s phone lists. Often they will text you coupons or special back to school sales.

Heading back to school doesn’t mean you have to break the bank on school supplies. In fact, you can use this back to school shopping season as an opportunity for your kids to learn about budgeting, couponing, and taking responsibility for their education.