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It is that wonderful time of the year of SCHOOL SHOPPING. Are you on a budget and trying to saving money during school shopping.  If you are on a budget and need help with saving money on school shopping let me offer you 10 school shopping tips on how to save money on back to school shopping.

How to Save Money on School Supplies

• Shop early. The biggest mistake we make during back to school shopping is waiting to the last minute to buy school supplies. That is a big mistake. One reason it most of the times school items at the low-price stores are sold out or picked over. Then you have you to settle with a higher brand product or must wait for another shipment to come in.  Another reason shopping at the last minute is not good because it will cause you to buy school supplies at a higher end store when you could have gotten the item cheaper.  I feel that some higher end stores prey on last minute shoppers because they know we are desperate and we want to make sure that our children have their school items. To avoid this, shop a month early for school supplies. This will help you stay on budget for school supplies and stock up on additional supplies to have throughout the school year.
• 2) Buy in bulk. This must be one of my favorite saving tips. Buying in bulk is a great way to have extra school supplies at home as needed throughout the school year. Plus, it offers you a way to save money than buying individual items. For example, my son needed dry erase markers for school. The dry erase markers at Wal-Mart was $7.00 for a pack of 12 for a generic -brand. Whereas a pack of 16 dry erase markers at Amazon was $6.00 for a name brand.

Best Time to Buy Back to School Clothes

• When shopping for school clothes shop clearance items. Shopping clearance items is another great way to be a smart shopper and save money. My local Wal-Mart currently have their summer clothes for 50% to 70%. Which is great because I can stock up on summer clothes now. Great back to school saving tip I learn is the best time to buy school clothes is off season. For example, now is the perfect time to buy back to school clothes. With summer ending this is a good time to stock up on spring and summer clothes for next year. Where I live in Georgia it does not start getting cool until mid-November.  When is start getting cooler I would have purchase light jacket and sweater during November and December because most stores or moving out their fall clothes out to make room for their winter clothes.
• Check out thrift store. Goodwill has been lifesaver for me. When shopping on a budget thrift stores is a great place to shop for school items. I have bought my kids school clothes and school supplies from my local thrift store. One year I even bought my daughter a brand new bookbag from the thrift store. My local thrift sometimes has clothes they get from our local retailer that still have tags on them. Don’t sleep on your thrift stores you can save a lot money shopping there.
• Online Consignment Stores. Online Consignment stores has help me with budget. One of my favorite online consignment store is Swap.Com. With an online consignment store I am able to stack up basic school clothes items such as basic t-shirts and pants. Some online consignment stores give back to their local community or local school.  One online consignment store that gives back is Schoola . My children school is sign up with Schoola to get a percentage of items that I purchase from them. Plus, Schoola offer some great name-brand clothes for a budget conscious family.

Smart Back to School Shopping Tips

• Set a budget. Every year me and my husband set a budget on how much money we are going to spend on school supplies and clothes. We make sure that we are not overspending, and we are saving money in every possible way. Setting a budget is a way to hold yourself accountable on not overspending. Plus, it also makes sure that you are getting the best deal for your money.
• Make a List. Write out everything your children need for school. Having a list of things, your children need for school is a great way to keep track of spending. I print out the school supply list from our children local school and mark off all the supplies that I purchase.
• Shop at home. When I buy school supplies or clothes it usually carries me over for another year. To save money on school shopping start shopping in your home for school items. For me, I start looking at my children previous school clothes in July just to see if they can get any other use out of them for the next school year. I also look at my children school supplies when school lets out for the summer to see what can be save for next school year. Back to school saving tip shopping at home allows you to stay within your budget when shopping. If your child has a book bag that is in good condition, then pass it on to another sibling or let the child use it for the next school year to help save money.

Other Back to School Shopping Savings.

• Use saving apps or rewards program. I cannot tell you how the Cartwheel app has saved me money on my school shopping. With my Cartwheel app I can use my Target coupon at the store or online. Target have help me save money on school supplies because they have coupon on name brand product on their Cartwheel app that I can use at checkout online. With the reward program with Ebates the money I spend at different stores allows me to get cash back. Which is good when school shopping on a budget. The money I accumulate throughout the year on Ebates is used toward my children Christmas shopping.
• Shop the dollar store. Some people will disagree with about shopping at the dollar store, but this is great way to save money when you are on a budget. One back to school saving tip I recommend about shopping at the dollar store is buy school supplies for home. There is always some type of project that my children need: crayon, markers, or construction paper. I have a school supply bag that I use to store all the extra school supplies I got from the dollar store. The dollar is also a good place to buy paper product for school. My children school require paper towels, Kleenex, and paper plates. By me shopping at the dollar store I am save money and but a larger quantity for a low price.

I hope some of these backs to school shopping tips will help you save money. Let me know what you do to save money on back to school shopping I would like to hear back from you.

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