Maximizing your School Supply Dollars

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Maximizing your School Supply Dollars

Submitted by: Dana Mace 07/17/2009 2:33 PM

My kids love school supply shoppping. They beg to go into the store and browse. They have their lists from the school but get distracted by so many other "cool" things they "must" have to be ready for school. I hate to discourage my kids from preparing to do well in school but they seem most attracted to items not on their lists and that are not required.

This year I came up with a solution. First, I decided we would order on line. There would be no clever marketing to distract the kids. I checked www.retailmenot.com for coupon codes and found one for $15 off of $75. I then went to www.ebates.com and found that they offered 3% on all my purchases from this merchant (and I could also enter my code). Shipping was free. I paid for the items using my American Express Blue Cash that gives me 1.5% back on this purchase.

So in the end I did not have to use gas to drive to the store. The kids were not tempted to buy unnecessary items but still got to pick out supplies. The shipping was free and the kids are excited to get the boxes when they come. I am getting 4.5% of my purchase price back from ebates and American Express. I know that some items might have been cheaper if we had shopped around (Dollar store etc.) but I figure I saved more on the items I did not buy to make up for it.

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Comments:

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Can you get a little time to shop by yourself? How about shopping without the kids, where ever the bargains are? Close to the first day of school, you could then surprise them with their new school clothes and supplies, just like Christmas morning. Sounds like a great tradition.

Anyone have a name for this new tradition/holiday even?

Posted by anonymous on July 30, 2009 4:51 AM

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Another great way I have found to save on school supplies is to simply go through all the supplies we already have at home. I tend to stock up on the things they will use on a regular basis when they are on sale or clearance. I don't have to buy them nearly as much this way, then I can buy them the "gotta have" items that they want.

Posted by anonymous on August 06, 2009 2:02 PM

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I have 4 kids still in school; 1 in college, 2 in high school and 1 in grade school, so I have learned a few tricks for saving money on back to school supplies. Right now is the prime time for shopping for these items.

#1 check your sales ads for stores like Office Max, Staples, Target, KMart, etc.

#2 jump on super sales when you see them for things like binder paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, and pens. Those are the things your child/children will ALWAYS need year after year for school, so buy more than you will need this year if your budget can handle it.

For example; last year a store had spiral notebooks for .10 each, so I bought the limit and that will supply my kids for a few years.

This year Staples has a sale on binder paper for .01 each, limit 5. You can certainly go back inside and get 5 more if you need more than that. Or, take your children along and have each of them be a customer, so you can get what you need. I already had a stash of binder paper from last year, but this sale beat last year's by far, so I jumped on that. I know it will be used by my kids, since my youngest is only going into 6th grade.

These ideas have helped me keep my school supply costs down to under $30 for ALL of my kids each year, with the exception of the few years I have needed to buy graphing calculators. Luckily that's a once in a lifetime per kid purchase. ;-)

Posted by Tina on August 06, 2009 2:45 PM

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Anonymous (posted 07-30-09) - to a rational adult with no children, your idea is fabulous. However, for some strange reason kids LOVE being able to pick out their own school stuff. Parents barely get thru June and kids are already asking when they can get their new stuff! And to wait till just before school starts to get their stuff? I can't imagine the stress PARENTS would go through having to listen to the begging & irrational fears that "everything" will be gone and nothing good will be left!

We cave early and let ours pick out one or two items that they don't really need, but are fairly cheap, and then they are satisfied and get to reorganize their stuff countless times before the first day of school!

Do people buy a lot of new school clothes before school starts anymore like we did as kids? Most people I've asked do like we do - we just pick up a few things, like new shoes if needed & a new shirt for the first day of school, but don't get a ton of new things for the beginning of the school year. We pick up a few things here and if they see something they like and ask for while shopping. As they get older and pickier I find it saves a lot more money to wait until they ask for something in particular rather than picking up lots of sale rack items that they won't go near! A few regular prices items actually worn is a lot cheaper than a closet jam-packed with "untouchables!"

Posted by anonymous on August 06, 2009 3:57 PM

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Walmart always has great deals on back to school supplies. Spiral notebooks go on sale for 5 cents every year before school starts and they have no limit to how many you can buy. Staples also has some really great deals if you watch the paper every week. They have a small limit on the amount of items you can buy, but if you are a teacher, you can get a teacher rewards card and buy up to 25 of any item on sale. Office Depot and other office supply stores have many great deals too if you keep an eye on the weekly ads.

As long as a store is close, I find the best way to buy school items is to be patient, shop from week to week, and buy the items that are on sale at a really low price. My best bargains in the past have always come from Staples and Walmart.

Posted by Heather on August 06, 2009 6:00 PM

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Don't forget to check with the child's teacher as to what they really need for school. I always send a letter home before school starts with a list of what is needed for class that year (I teach third graders). This helps eliminate the problem of students showing up with supplies that won't fit in their desk or lockers that they have to take back home.

I know I was once a kid, too, and there is nothing like those new school supplies to start the year......................it was so much fun!!

Posted by anonymous on August 07, 2009 12:29 PM

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