Wednesday, July 25, 2018

By Barbara Pronin It may seem as though summer has barely begun, but bored kids and back-to-school sales tell you it’s time to prepare for September – or, in some cases, back to school sometime in August.

Replenishing all those clothes and school supplies is time consuming and expensive. Trent Hamm, a Dad of three and a consumer writer for The Simple Dollar, provides tips on organizing back-to-school efforts and saving lots of money in the bargain:

Take stock before you buy – Whether you have one child or several, have a try-on day in early August. Bring out everyone’s school clothes, see which are still usable or can be passed down to a younger kid. Think about a Swap Day, with neighbors bringing their good used clothing and ‘shopping’ from what others have brought.

Shop second-hand first – Many towns have at least one fairly upscale second-hand store. That’s a great place to shop for kids first before buying new. Keep an eye out, too, for summer yard sales – another opportunity to shop for good, used kids’ clothing.

Look for sales and tax-free shopping days – Kids’ clothing, shoes, and school supplies go on sale almost everywhere by mid-July – and some states and cities offer tax-free shopping days to coincide with these sales. Stay alert, look for coupons, and read the ads, then jump on those 50-cent bargain days for notebooks, pencils, and other school supplies. If you have unused gift cards, use them for back-to-school shopping.  

Make your own ‘cool’ notebooks – If your kids want Superhero or other decorated notebooks, don’t pay the extra price. Buy the cheaper, plain notebooks and a packet of stickers and let the kids decorate their own.

Give each kid a ‘budget allowance’ – Start kids on the road to smart shopping by sticking to budget-priced clothing and supplies. But set a ‘budget allowance’ to give each kid some slack. If the backpack he wants costs $10 more than what you’d planned to spend, he can use $10 from his budget allowance until he reaches the limit.

Buy extras – If the budget allows it, buy extra school supplies now, because the prices will never be this low again all year. Take advantage of the bargains and stock up on filler paper and more.

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