11 Money Saving Back To School Shopping Tips

Well, it’s that time of year again!  School Supply shopping can be expensive with just one kid, but when you have multiple, the school season can be as expensive as Christmas!  

They all want the latest clothes and the coolest notebooks with their favorite characters or cutesy stuff on them.  

11 Money Saving Back To School Shopping Tips

Just trying to afford what they want, let alone finding what they all want, while filling a shopping school list that your child’s teacher gave you is exhausting!

There are ways to get around some of those obstacles.  Here are 11 Money Saving Back To School Shopping Tips

1. Raid Your Own House:

The first place to start is at home.  Many of the supplies needed are office supplies, and we normally have those already.  So, send the young kids and college kids looking for all of their old leftover supplies and any necessary items that you have around the house.  

Then you can make a list for your school shopping trip and know exactly what you’ll need. Sit down with each student and compare what you have with what you need and make your list.

2. Stock up:

As couponers we know how to stock up when the price is at it’s very lowest.  If you wait until it’s school shopping season or it’s “time” to buy your school supplies, they will most likely be at their highest price.  

So, shop all year for the best school deals and stock up to cut down on what you’ll need at the beginning of the school year.  Plus, you’ll have plenty to last throughout the school year as well.

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3. Use Coupons:

Ok, you really didn’t think on a site that spent 15 years teaching couponing I wouldn’t mention this one, right?

Remember to wait for that rock bottom price on those school supply items and then grab your coupons and stock up on all the school items on your school shopping list!

4. Shop For Rewards:

Of all of the Back To School Shopping Tips, this tip is good for Back To School shopping as well as the holidays!  Shop at places that offer rewards and then save them up!  

Save your Extra Care Bucks from CVS (at my stores they never expire, check with your store), Register Rewards at Walgreens, and Cartwheel at Target!  

With the drug store rewards, learn how to roll them to keep them current and even get higher rewards!  You can also buy reduced priced gift cards from places like Card Cash, Raise, and even eBay, where people sell their unwanted gift cards and you can buy them for less than what they’re worth!

5. Bide Your Time On The Popular Items:

The younger and older children want all the best fun and cute stuff they see, and they think their friends will have.  But, that first couple of days after the first day of school, that may all change.

Then they will be begging for something else like a new backpack.  Also, waiting allows you to wait for the school supplies to go on school sales.  After school starts is when they drop the prices on what’s left, so bide your time to get the best deal.

6. Watch For End Of Summer Clearance Sales:

This is one of the Back To School Shopping Tips that should be at the forefront of your mind every summer. Most stores have end of summer clearance sales, there are quite a few things that kids and high schoolers can wear year round, so check out those sales and snatch up what they can use even into the winter.

7. Check Out The Dollar Store:

Places like the Dollar Store and Five Below are always great spots to find cheap school supplies. They have everything younger children and high school students may need. Some dollar stores even sell backpacks for any grade level.

8. Tax Free Holiday Shopping:

Another one of the most important Back To School Shopping Tips is to always make sure you know when your tax free holiday is and budget to have money ready for that date.  Many stores have great sales for your child’s school supplies to coincide with this holiday making even sweeter buys!

9. Use Price Matching:

Target price matches, so be sure to find the stores in your area that do and save yourself time, gas, and headaches by doing all your shopping in one store.

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10. Garage Sales:

Garage sales and thrift stores are great places to find great deals on clothes and other additional items for the start of school, so be sure to check those out all summer.  No one wants to think about going back to school during summer vacation, but, it can be the best time to get started!

11. Online Resale Shops:

You can find practically anything on online marketplaces, like Facebook. They sell everything including additional supplies for the new school year.

Whether you’re looking for a zipper binder, construction paper, or graph paper, you’re likely to find everything your child needs at a good deal.

School Essentials

Lunch Boxes

FlowFly Kids Lunch box

•  Material:The FlowFly reusable Lunch Bag is made of the highly durable 600D Polyester,food safe PEVA lining and sturdy zippers.
• Good Use:Premium fabric construction makes this small lunch pail durable and easy to clean. With ice pack,insulation helps retain hot and cold temperatures whole day to improve food quality, freshness and taste,keep the meal healthy.It is moisture resistant,quick and simple Organization,perfect for Age3+ kids and On-The-Go Parents.
• Travel-friendly design – Each portable,compact, lightweight lunch pail can hold a good-sized container with plenty of room for snacks, utensils and juice boxes. Features include a zippered front pocket for hiding a surprise dessert or fun note, a handy inner mesh pouch perfect for napkins and utensils,you could secure water bottles or ice packs in the box.
• Spacious Design – Measures L: 10.6 x W: 4.33 x H: 7.7 inches. You’ll find it super spacious and will have no problem fitting your meat and milk inside,Go ahead, pack that extra treat! This FlowFly lunch pouch suit to children adult, men, women,work,office,beach.It is suitable for fitting into backpack .
• Customer Satisfaction – PVC, BPA and Phthalate-free makes this an eco-friendly option with an unmatched quality and a reliable replacement for service you can trust

Hand Sanitizer

Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer

• Give yourself a refreshing boost while eliminating germs with PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Essentials
• Kills 99.99 percent of most common germs that can cause illness, without damaging skin. Outperforms other sanitizers ounce-for-ounce
• Perfect for frequent use. Mild formula is free of parabens, phthalates, preservatives and harsh ingredients; so it does not dry out or irritate skin. Hands feel soft, even after many uses
• Attach this 1 fl oz bottle to your purse, gym bag, diaper bag or briefcase. Reach for the PURELL bottle when you need to kill germs, refresh or clean-up in a hurry
• Case Includes 8 – PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer Essentials, Infused with Essential Oils – 1 fl oz in three versions: (3) Mandarin scented, (3) Lavender scented, and (2) Mint scented bottles. Due to high demand, included JELLY WRAP Carriers may vary in color

Three-ring Binders

Cardinal Economy 3 Ring Binder, 2 Inch

• Stock up on a bulk pack of 4 white binders; binder rings measure 2 inches and can hold 475 sheets; great at-home space savers for schoolwork, documents, binder dividers, a 3 hole punch pencil pouch and more
• An upgraded standard economy binder, these Cardinal 3 ring binders have strong XtraLife cover hinges that resist splitting at the seams to survive daily use, plus 2 inside pockets for extra storage
• Personalize the ClearVue cover and spine to easily find papers, school supplies and office supplies—ideal for virtual learning or working from home
• Cardinal Economy binders are PVC free and non stick so ink from printouts, artwork and photos won’t transfer to the binder, keeping it reusable for different projects, classes or kids if needed
• Back-mounted round rings make it easier to insert printer paper into the notebook spine for labeling purposes; or leave the spine empty for a neat, clutter-free look

Pencil Cases

EOOUT 8 Pack Binder Pencil Pouch

• Product information: 3-ring pencil pouch binder, the size is 10*7in/25*18cm. 8 pack, 2 leaves green& 2 fresh orange& 2 electric blue& 2 plum pink.
• Durable material: Thick oxford fabric material, clear PVC window. The design of the two-layer pocket increases the function and capacity, which can put more pens and sundries and promote better classification and storage. The surface of fabric will cause slight crease, will not affect the use, and the slight crease will decrease through time.
• Multi-purpose: In addition to stationery storage, the 3-hole pocket can also be used for store notes/cosmetics/bills. Both adults and children can use it.
• Structure: Top PVC material clear window can see the contents of the pocket, the contents can be clearly seen, easy to take.
• Well-fit in 3-ring folders: The measured distance of metal hole makes it more convenient to use. Have an easy experience turning pages. Use it to make your study and work more effectively.

Pencil Sharpeners

Manual Pencil Sharpeners

• Aipker Double Holes Plastic Sharpener is perfect for keeping on hand to sharpen your standard and large pencils. The sharpener has 2 different sized holes which makes allows it to accommodate standard to large sized pencils.
• Our pencil sharpeners use carbon steel blade allows you to sharpen your pencils effectively and reliably sculpt pencils to sharp points that effortlessly convey thoughts to paper.
• Aipker pencil sharpener features a spill-proof design and a transparent shavings receptacle, so you will know exactly when to empty the easy-to-clean shavings tray
• Pencil sharpener compact & small design makes it great for tucking into a bag or backpack, also easily fit almost anywhere and can go wherever you do.
• Our pencil sharpener quality and portability that will suit the standard sharpening needs of any student, teacher, artist, or administrator.

Notebooks

Composition Notebook, 8 Pack

• Feela 8 Pack 8 Pastel Colors Wide Ruled Composition Notebooks include 8 pack 8 different pastel color cute composition notebooks. 1 for each color and each one measures 9.75 X 7.5 inches, which is perfect to carry in bags and easily held by young girls and boys
• Feela Wide Ruled Composition Notebooks have 8 different pastel bright colors. You can distinguish different subjects or notes with different colors. The special marble pattern on the cover is carefully picked in order to give you a better visual experience.
• Feela Wide Ruled Composition Notebooks are all blank inside with 160 lined pages (80 Sheets), which would be enough for daily usage. Every page is wide ruled and the line space is 11/32 inches. There are schedule list and some useful conversions on the back page for your reference.
• Feela Wide Ruled Composition Notebooks would be perfect for many people and lots of occasions. Students of primary school and college can use it to write down notes or hand in homework. Commuters can use it to arrange your daily work schedule and jot down important milestones. Your small girl or boy can use it as the start of doodling and writing.
• Performance&Satisfaction: We provide you with not only our high quality products but also our quick response service.

Page Markers

Bright Color Sticky Index Tabs 

• 0.5 x 1.8 Inches, 4 sets neon color flag tabs, 7 Bright Colors.
• Made of premium PET material, smooth writing, waterproof, non-toxic and no odor.
• Eye-Catching, Colorful flags make it easy to go back and reference information.
• Convenient to stick and mark, easy to remove and reposition, you can write words on tabs with ballpoint pen.
• Good for organizing, referencing and indexing notebooks, documents, books.

Pens

Zebra Pen Z-Grip Retractable Ballpoint Pen

• 1.0mm medium point ballpoint pen featuring low viscosity black ink for a smooth, skip-less writing experience and quicker writing speeds
• Soft, latex-free rubberized grip provides increased comfort while the plastic barrel allows for ink supply visibility
• Convenient metal pocket clip for quick, easy access, and to ensure you never lose your favorite pen again
• Vivid, reliable black ink and solid pen construction make for a great everyday writing tool
• Ideal to use in a notebook, journal, planner, legal pad, on invitation cards and almost any paper surface

Scissors

Big Kids Scissors Softgrip, 6 Inch

• Fiskars Softgrip Big Kids Scissors feature longer blades and larger handle loops for working on more advanced projects
• Comfortable Softgrip handle improves comfort, reduces hand fatigue and comes in colorful designs kids love
• Stainless steel blades cut all classroom materials for frustration-free projects
• #1 teacher-recommended brand is ideal for kids ages eight and up, accommodates both right- and left-handed users

Glue

Elmer’s Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks

• Bonds to paper, cardboard, foam board, display board, and more
• Goes on purple and dries clear
• Washes easily off hands and out of clothes
• Non toxic and acid free
• Perfect for arts, crafts, and school projects

Pencils

Pre-sharpened #2 Pencils

• 30 wood case #2 HB pencils made from high-quality wood come presharpened
• Strong medium-soft lead produces long-lasting, smooth, readable strokes
• Rounded hexagonal shape with satin-smooth finish for a secure, comfortable grip
• Soft, smudge-free, latex-free eraser secured to the end for conveniently wiping away mistakes

Index Cards

Ruled Lined Index Cards

• 300-count pack of white heavy-weight index cards; ruled on one side for easy note taking
• Made from top-quality heavy commercial stock for added strength; ideal for studying, list making, and more
• Quality engineered with precision-cut edges for uniform size
• Measures 3 by 5 by 1.06 inches
• Premium-weight card stock: 114 lb. paper, 186 gsm

Highlighters

Fluorescent Ink Highlighters

• 12-pack of chisel-tip highlighters for emphasizing info at school, home, or office
• Molded narrow chisel tip for broad highlighting, fine underlining, or writing notes
• Pocket-style design with narrow barrel offers easy control and a comfortable grip
• Removable cap stores on the end; built-in clip attaches to a pocket or book for sleek portability
• Assortment of bright fluorescent ink colors, including yellow, pink, orange, green, blue, and purple