Hard to believe, but in a few short weeks the kids will be heading back to school; this year I will have a Teen starting 10th grade, a Tween starting Middle School and a Toddler walking into Pre-K. Money is always an issue if you have kids, whether it be at my house with my 3 crazy kids or at your house with one or two munchkins.
Money is always a subject and no doubt it will be once kids are heading back this year. I’ve read an article the other day that Back to School shopping is the busiest time next to Christmas; It’s time to start saving some of our hard earned money and come up with a game plan for the upcoming school year.
Since our schools have strict uniform policy that are only available through one vendor in the state, we have to find other ways to cut our cost and still give the kids everything they need. While I tried to come up with some ideas, I decided to list them for you and then some.
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Take Inventory– Check what the kids have and what is needed. If a folder isn’t in terrible bad shape I will clean it and have the kids re-use it, I do the same with a lot of other products like pencil case and Back bags.
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Buy when it’s on sale– Not when it’s convenient for you: That is an important thing, check the weekly fliers and buy piece by piece when an item is rock bottom price. Why wait till the day of and buy everything for 3x as much.
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Buy in bulk – I also buy extras, if the glue stick is 5 cents I buy 10 or 20 and put them away in a Plastic Tub labeled School supplies; the kids can get school supplies throughout the year if needed and if not used I can keep it for the next year; eliminating the rush to the store and saving a ton of money.
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Use Coupons– A lot of products from pencils to sharpie and highlighter have coupons available check coupons.comor Google for a specific product; during Back to School Walgreens & CVS will have killer sales where the product will end up FREE with a coupon or very cheap.
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Tax Free time– Most States have a Tax Free Holiday, if you are in need of new back bags, school Uniforms even cloth for Mom & Dad or the Baby, buy anything that you need and know you can’t get with a coupon during Tax Free Time; a lot of stores will also run specials during that time.
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Trade Cloth– Our school has a Uniform Closet, we can bring uniforms in that are too small but in great shape and exchange them for a bigger size; check with your schools if they have a similar program available; will save you a lot of money in the long run.
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Consignment Shops– A lot of time around Back to School, consignment shops receive a bunch of uniforms from parents that either no longer attend that school or their child has outgrown the size, perfect timing for you to pick some up for cheap. You can also bring your Uniforms there that are too small to make some extra money in your back to School Budget.
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Stock up– You know the kids always need Wipes, Ziploc Baggies stuff like that. At least our Teacher every year requests this and even throughout the year we get notes asking for donations; stock up when they are on sale and hold them till your teacher needs them. That way you can be a good parent help the teacher out and still stay within your budget.
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Budget– Stick to a Budget; don’t buy extra cloth if your little one has a closet full, maybe get them one nice outfit for the first day of school.
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Relax– Yes, that’s not a Money saving Tip, but it’s a “Keep Mom Happy” tip; don’t try to get it all done in one day; shop the sales, figure out when the Supplies are on sale and when the Cloth are on sale, make a game plan and just relax; take a deep breath it’s almost back to school and you know what that means… the next Holiday is just around the corner……
These are just a few of my savings tips and I hope you can take the one or the other tip and turn it something that will work for you and your family and help you save money, energy and time along the way. What is your favorite tip or must have for Back to school? Would love to hear it and chat… grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk….
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Horizon Organic brand.