Back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming.
Here are six simple ways to save money while giving
your children what they need to hit the books this
year.
1. Take a specific list for school supplies to the
discount store or office supplies store. Watch the
Sunday circulars and plan to find all of these essential
school supplies in a single trip - while they are on
sale. Make sure to stick to the official supplies list
provided by the school. Then shop online (or
comparison shop offline) for other items you might
need, such as clothes and shoes.
2. Don't spend too much on back-to-school
clothes before school begins. Every child looks
forward to having something new for the first day of
school. That doesn't mean each child needs an
entirely new wardrobe. With many schools starting in
August, the weather is too hot for the fall and winter
clothes that they'll need for the duration of the school
year. And if you shop too far in advance, your child
could actually outgrow an outfit before it's time to wear
it. Purchase one new outfit (or new single clothing
item) for that first day to heighten the excitement - and
save the rest of the wardrobe budget for a few months
from now. If your budget doesn't allow for a new
clothing item for each child, treat your kids to
something smaller - but still exciting: a new pencil
bag or a new package of pencils printed with their
name, for example.
3. Establish a clothing budget for each child. This
allows your child to be in control of their wardrobe
(under your guidelines, of course), and it requires
them to make wise spending decisions. Help your
child to comparison shop once they decide what they
like. You can find lots of coupons online this time of
year for apparel and shoes.
4. Shop the sales, offline as well as online. Many
of the big online retailers, such as Overstock and
Smartbargains - as well as Target and Walmart -
feature savings this time of year on back-to-school
items small appliances, even notebook computers
and those specialized calculators that your older
children may need.
5. Let your child give their old stuff a new look. With
a few paper bags, sheets of construction paper, glitter,
pens, glue, and stickers, they can make fun,
personalized folders, supply tins, lunchboxes,
notebooks, and book covers.
6. Plan a simple reward for the first day. Treat your
elementary school student to a special surprise at the
end of the first day (or at the end of the first week for
middle school and high school students.) Take your
children out for pizza or an ice cream cone and ask
them to tell you all about their classes, their new
friends, and what they think they are going to enjoy
most about the year to come. They'll cherish this
simple tradition - and so will you.
Jamie Jefferson is a frequent contributor to http://www.momsc
ape.com, a website devoted to helping parents
celebrate life with children. Visit the site today for the
latest Online Coupon Codes and special
savings for the sites mentioned in this article,
including Online Shoes Coupons.
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