Smart Back-to-School Shopping
Minute Read
We’ll share our notes with you, so you can ace your shopping and keep your budget intact.
Supply Check
Most kids are focused on what they want and need for the new school year, but are you considering what they already have? Look for supplies like partially used notebooks, pens and folders that could easily be reused. Save or recycle the used paper and put a new label on the front of the folder and ta-da, school supplies!
Examine Your Closet
The same goes for clothing and shoes. If your kids tell you they need new sneakers, look at their existing sneakers yourself, and determine if this is a “need” or a “want.” Clothing swaps are also a fun idea! See if your friends, neighbors or family members have hand-me-down clothes that are in good shape that their kids have outgrown. They may be willing to sell it to you or give it to you for free! That's a great way to get an upgraded closet at little or no cost to you.
Smart Shopping for Small Supplies
If new school supplies are needed, look at store ads online or in the mail to find great deals near you. Bargain stores like the Dollar Tree sell low-cost school supplies and bigger membership stores like Sam’s Club often bundle their supplies so you get more supplies at a lower cost. Have you discovered a great deal on 20 notebooks? Talk to your friends, neighbors or family members who have children and see if they would be willing to “go in” on this purchase with you. Usually, the bigger the package of supplies, the better the deal.
Clothing Quality, Is it Worth it?
Many clothing stores also have back-to-school deals going on that could be worth your while and in many cases, quality is a major factor. Are your kids in a growth spurt? Perhaps you want to look at stores with great deals, but lower quality fabrics. If you are frequently buying clothes, what you buy now, will soon be replaced for bigger sizes. However, it is also important to consider resale value. Good quality clothes could last longer for your kids, and you may be able to resell them online or at brick-and-mortar consignment stores.
Life-Long Purchases
For bigger items like computers or backpacks, we recommend investing a little more for good quality, long lasting products. While this may be a high-school purchase, these products could go with your kids through their college experience too. Good quality could mean less purchases in the future.
Shopping Solo
Leaving your kids supervised at home and going shopping alone can be very useful. This tactic enables you to get what YOU know are absolute necessities and you won’t have to deal with your kids wanting everything they see. This could also give you some alone time because while we love our kids, time by yourself can also be rewarding. Smart shopping at its finest.
However you decide to shop for back-to-school items, always plan what you will need to buy ahead of time. Knowing how much you can spend, specific items you need to buy and where the best deals are, will hopefully help keep you budget in check!
If you are looking for a stress-free shopping experience, use our Visa® debit card or credit card. Our contactless debit card offers a simple tap-and-go experience with extra layers of protection to help keep your purchases safe. Also, be sure to set up card controls to monitor your spending and help detect fraud or suspicious activity while you are shopping.
