Thrifty Thursday - Back To School Thoughts

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm talking about saving on back to school supplies!

First, you'll want to round up all the leftover supplies from last year. I'm not talking already used crayons if your child attends a physical school (I've been the victim of that as a child, and it's traumatizing lol), but packages of other supplies that haven't been used. We're all guilty of over buying at least one supply, be it pencils, pens, or maybe even note cards. Do remember that this is the best time of year for prices on school supplies: it's generally better to overbuy notebooks at 25 cents each than have to pay $1.50 for 5 or 6 when they run out in March!

Next, sit down with all the ads from the major stores. Many stores will have incredible deals, such as folders or pencils for just 1 cent! Even CVS has some supplies that may be free after their Extra Care Bucks program. Make a list of which prices are best, but don't forget to take in account the gas, especially if the stores are across town from each other. Make a budget, and stick to it.

For back to school clothing, consider shopping at secondhand or resale shops. I often find brand new with the tags still on it clothing! Now depending on your child's size (I know slim sizes are much harder to find), the selection may be a bit smaller. But if you can purchase 2-3 items at 2/3rds of the cost of new, you're already saving a bit of cash!

And here's one that some may agree with, some may not: purchase a good QUALITY backpack. Those cheapie ones may be cute, but they often don't last the year. Get a sturdy one from a company such as L.L. Bean - the straps will hold up, and if the fabric isn't too dirty, you'll often get more than one school year from them!