How to Save on School Supplies
It may seem impossible, but you can fill your child's backpack without going broke!
Up next in How to Manage Your Money (65 videos)
The rich didn't make their fortunes with frivolous spending. Get smart about money with these saving and budget tips.
You Will Need
- Your child's required school supply list
- A dollar store
- Loss leaders
- Online deals
- Coupons
- A recycling nonprofit
- Bulk buying
Steps
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Step 1
Stick to your school's list of required supplies. Contact the school if you haven't received one.
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Step 2
Ask your child's school if they know of any community programs that are distributing free school supplies. Or check for them online.
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Step 3
Start at the dollar store, where you can almost always find pens, pencils, notebooks, and other items.
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Step 4
Scour weekly store sale advertisements so you can snap up items you need that fall into their "loss-leader" category – items they sell at a loss each week to lure you into the store.
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Step 5
Check the web sites of big discount stores before you head out the door; they often have downloadable coupons and deals you can only get online.
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Join forces with other parents so you can buy school supplies in bulk and split them.
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Step 6
Talk to your school principal about the school joining the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources or a similar organization, which collects overstock donations from businesses and redistributes them to nonprofit organizations, like schools.
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The average American family with school-age children spends $594.24 on back-to-school purchases.
