Back to School Shopping Tips

‘Tis the season for sales!  Big sales!

Picture it, every school-aged child across the county requires pencils, markers, paper, notebooks, scissors, etc.  Perhaps you are thinking, “What do these back to school sales mean for me?” or “How can I take advantage of these back to school sales?”  Here is a helpful list of 9 ways to take advantage of these low prices!

9 Ways to Take Advantage of Back to School Savings (Even When You Don’t Have Kids)

1. Starting with the most obvious one here, Stock up on office supplies! Do you need a new stapler for your home office? Perhaps you have been having difficulty finding a pen that works around your home lately. Now is the time to buy these items for around your house.
2. Create a kid craft basket.  If you have friends with children, or nieces & nephews, or anyone else who may be stopping by for a visit with their little ones – this basket could be a lifesaver! Imagine the smile on your nephew’s face when you offer him a place to sit and craft for a while. Or perhaps imagine the smile on your Sister’s face when she sees a quiet place for her little one to play while you two can sit down and catch up.
3. Freshen up your linen closet.  This is the time of year for new college students to leave the nest, and along with that comes dorm room living sales. Big stores know what college students need and offer significant discounts to bring these students into their stores. So if you are making over your guest room, or perhaps you need a couple of new sets of sheets or towels – now could be the time to take advantage of huge savings.
4. Speaking of closets, stock up on Storage.  Whether you are tackling your bedroom, closets, or cabinets, now is an excellent time to grab those much-needed storage items. After all, many parents are preparing to send their children off to school – and organizational items for dorm rooms will need to be priced right. So take advantage of these deals and finally get a place to organize your mail, or store those new towels!
5. Are you familiar with a Loss Leader? This is an excellent tactic the big stores use to draw in customers and sell a specific product at a loss – and hopefully stimulate other sales of more profitable items. So take advantage of these Loss Leaders. Go in and purchase 35 notepads for $0.17 each.
6. Are you in need of a new cell phone or data plan?  Now can be the time to purchase one. The new school year, off-to-college kids and various other changes during this time of the month bring about new needs for parents. Often, one of these changes is an updated cellphone plan for families. Even if you do not need a new strategy for your children, perhaps your phone could use an upgrade or even a less expensive monthly plan.
7. Birthday gift/ Holiday gift shopping – Yes, new school supplies are standard this time of year,  but if your niece/ nephew – grandchild, etc. were to receive new notepads, pencils, and erasers in February – that would be exciting too!  A few fresh supplies to add to his/her backpack or desk could bring a few smiles to their faces!  A gift that is also practical for the little ones and inspires some more work at school.
8. Buy online!  During this busy shopping time of year, many retailers are offering free shipping! If you order these items in advance, you can take advantage of having all of your needs shipped right to your door!  You won’t even have to deal with any of the madness in line and at the store.
9. Donate – Let’s face it; many kids starting off the new year may not have all of the supplies they need to get the most out of their classes.  Take this time to set a limited budget (if you can) to purchase a few items for donation to those in need.  Here is a great list of supply drive locations for you to drop off your donations.

So where do you go for these amazing deals?  Don’t forget to check out the big box stores. Walmart, Staples, and Target are all over the airwaves with commercials advertising these deals right now. So keep an eye on their websites and stores for specials on the things you would like to purchase. Also, here is an excellent site highlighting some of the best deals by week!  Thank you KrazyCouponLady!