Money Saving Ideas for School
School Supplies
The best time to shop for school supplies is right before school starts. Most stores have caught on to how much people really do spend on school supplies, so are competing against eachother for the best prices. You can find crayons, glue, and notebooks for just a few cents each. Take this time to stock up for the entire year, regardless of what your list says you need.The second best time to shop for school supplies is directly after school starts. Stores have too much inventory, and give deep discounts just to get rid of what they have left. Don't go completely overboard, but do stock up on the super cheap items. (Such as 10 cent packs of glue)
Don't forget to check the dollar stores!
School Clothes
School clothes are always their highest right before school starts. Unless of course you go to the thrift stores. You would be amazed on clothes you can find for kids in stores like this. Many can be found brand new for a fraction of what they originally cost.Normally when school starts it's still hot, so save your money for winter clothes until late September or October. Most jeans and even shirts are marked down. For example, right before school started I bought my son 2 new shirts for about $6. Several weeks later, those same shirts were marked down to $3. I'm still kicking myself for not waiting a few weeks.
At the very least, just buy one single outfit for the first day of school. If your county or state has "tax free weekends", do your shopping on that day.
School Lunch
Luckily the cost of school lunch isn't so bad. Just a few dollars per meal is all you pay, so we don't need too many money saving ideas for school lunch. Although if you really want to cut your costs, see if you can get your child to take their lunch to school. Just be careful you don't fall into the "easy lunch" items they sell in stores - you probably won't save anything. Instead, pack lunches at home.See healthy school lunch ideas.
After School Activities
This is the most expensive of all things related to school. The cost of after school activities can really add up in a hurry. While you don't want to deny your child the chance to play sports, the costs can be quite a problem for some.What's worse, your child might lose interest half way through the season. Some equiptment which could have been used for the next year won't be used at all if they don't want to continue. So it's important to only put your children in activities you know they'll stick to. Sit down at the beginning of the year with all your kids, and talk about what activities they'll want to do. Make note of what they are interested in, and what they aren't. If this changes in a few months, you'll know it's probably not something you'll want to put them in.
The best money saving ideas for school sports is shopping at thrift stores or on eBay. Just like clothes, you know your kids won't use these items forever. Get them used and resell them when you are done - you'll save SO much money doing it this way. Click below to search ebay for sporting goods for kids.
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