back to school SHOPPING on a Budget

from Area Woman Magazine Aug/Sep '17

by Lake & Home Magazine | Area Woman Magazine

susan borsen

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME YOU

might sometimes find yourself thinking that maybe, just maybe, next month will have fewer expenses…but then, alas, as you turn the page on the calendar, you become aware of this and that and that other thing. Sometimes it can get overwhelming; certainly this season, as we prepare for another school year, is no exception. Back-toschool shopping is expensive, no doubt; yet here are five ideas that may help you stick to a more reasonable budget this month.

first, stick to the lists. The school supply lists are made by the teachers themselves and include everything they want our children to have at school. While it’s fun to buy extra shiny binders and glitter pens, those extras often get sent back home. Also, as many classrooms switch to flexible seating rather than traditional desks, our kids simply don’t have as much space to store all that extra stuff we think looks so great in the store. Make an agreement with your child before you go that if it’s not on the list, it’s not going in the cart. If your child “just has to have” a certain item that isn’t on the list (gel pens, anyone?), perhaps let them use their allowance money.

second, stock up on the things that are actually at their lowest price, and wait to buy things that aren’t immediate needs, like cold-weather clothes. It’s so tempting to stock up on jeans and cozy fleece during all the back-to-school sales, but let’s face it: most clothing stores seem to offer their “lowest price of the year” many times throughout the year. Just around the corner we’ll have Labor Day, Columbus Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas sales, and many in-between sales. Since our kids will likely (hopefully) be wearing shorts and tees until October, there’s no reason to drop cash on long pants until later in the fall. However, school supplies actually are at their lowest price in August. Your child will need new crayons, markers, glue and notebooks at some point during the year, so it saves money in the long run to stock up on those things now.

third, use birthdays as opportunities for bigger ticket items like backpacks, scientific calculators, thermoses, shoes, etc. This works particularly well if you have summertime or early fall birthdays in your family. A high quality backpack with adjustable straps makes a great gift, and will likely last for at least a few school years. For items that can be used multiple years, avoid purchasing ones with characters; your child will tire of the character long before the item fails.

fourth, save reusable items. Sure, one binder or folder may not cost much, but when you’re shopping for multiple children and purchasing seven 2-inch, six 1.5-inch and eight 1-inch binders, plus approximately 37 colored folders, the cost adds up! When I go through backpacks on the last day of school, I put all the reusable items — folders, binders, markers, colored pencils, pencils, rulers, unused glue sticks, etc. — in a bin and tuck it away until fall. Then, before beginning back-toschool shopping, we go through the entire supply list with our collection of last school year’s reusable items and cross off the things we already have. As much as kids want to have all their very own stuff brand new each year, they’ll get over it quickly. Saving a dollar here and there adds up to lots of dollars saved.

and fifth, give. Giving may seem contrary to saving, but since we are designed to give, it shapes our hearts and gives us perspective that we need. Every fall there are ample opportunities to donate school supplies to children who can’t afford them. Since school supplies are now at their lowest price, it’s so simple yet gratifying to buy a few extra backpacks or boxes of crayons and markers and donate them to children who will treasure them. Additionally, when we teach our kids that we are reusing last year’s binders so that we can spend a few extra bucks on other child, it helps to shape our children’s hearts to give and makes them more thankful for their own new box of crayons … or gel pens.