Did you know that the average household budgeted $875 for back to school shopping last year? If your eyes are bugging out at that number, don’t worry. Mine are too. Luckily, there is no need school supplies need to be such a drag on your budget. Here are 8 ways to save money on back to school shopping this year that will keep kids, teachers, and your wallet happy.
Reconsider what you actually need
Now is the time to pause and reset your expectations about school supplies. It’s all too easy to mindlessly buy items because you see them, or think you might need them, or because they look pretty. By reconsidering and shopping more consciously, I’ve been able to avoid mindless purchases and save money.
Remember: it’s the job of marketers and advertisers to make you think you need things, and they often do so by creating a day or season of shopping, whether that’s Prime Day, Back-to-School shopping, Black Friday, or any sale. You can choose not to get swept up in it.
For example, take clothes. It can be tempting to buy a whole new wardrobe when school starts. But presumably your kids have been wearing clothes the year thus far (naked toddlers as perhaps an exception), so they have clothes they can wear to school. Of course, get your child clothing if they’ve sized up or worn through their current options, and make sure they’re prepared for cooler and wetter weather ahead. But don’t buy anything just because it’s the new school year. That’s not necessary.
To that end, I would recommend only shopping for the items on the official school supply list provided by your school. In addition to that list, if your child’s backpack, water bottle, or lunch box from last year is no longer usable, then add that item to your list. That’s it! That’s all you need in advance. You’re ready for the first day of school. If you realize that something else is necessary later on, you can obtain it then.
Take the old saying to heart: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
Shop your home first
Next, it’s time to take stock of what you already own. Before you buy anything, be sure you “shop” your home first, including your child’s room and anywhere you keep office and craft supplies. Don’t forget to look in their backpacks from last year!
Supplies that are easily re-used from year to year include:
- Scissors
- Rulers
- Pencil boxes
- Pencil sharpeners
- Headphones
- Backpacks
- Water bottles
- Lunch boxes and accessories
- Clothing
- Pencils, erasers, markers, dry-erase markers, highlighters, crayons, colored pencils, textbook covers, binders, and folders that survived well from last year’s use. Obviously with kids, many of these items see a lot of wear, but others may have sat in their desks at school or at home for most of the school year.
Plus, you may have more consumable items on hand that never did get used, such as:
- Pencils
- Folders
- Post-its
- Paper
- Disinfecting wipes
- Glue sticks
- Crayons
- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Highlighters
- Dry-erase markers
- Tissues
- Hand sanitizer
- Erasers
- Index cards
- Notebooks and composition books – I know we have several with only a few pages used that could easily be sent again this year.
Search and ask in community sharing groups
After you shop your own home, it’s time to see what your neighbors have and are willing to share for free. I talk a lot on here about Buy Nothing groups. Buy Nothing communities are extremely small and local groups focused on giving away items you aren’t using to others in your community for reuse, to reduce consumption and save money. You can find your local Buy Nothing group here, which may be on Facebook or via the Buy Nothing app. Similar communities can be found on Freecycle, free items on NextDoor, free items on Facebook marketplace, and Facebook groups focused on freebies (which are often sharing marketplace postings, but not always).
If you’ve never used a group like these, you may be surprised by how high of quality/value items that folks are willing to give away. It’s often coordinated through a message and a simple porch pickup.
Check the rules of your group and see if requests are allowed. If so, you may be able to post requesting the specific items you’re searching for. I’ve gotten items this way as well, such as Frozen-themed birthday decorations and a barely-used raincoat, and given things away that my neighbors requested.
Check out resale marketplaces
Once you’ve exhausted your free options, check resale marketplaces. Don’t be fooled, though: you can often find new, unused items this way for a discount. I would check:
- Ebay – for example, search school supply lot or look up specific items you’re shopping for.
- Facebook marketplace – you have the option to search nearby items for pickup, or search anywhere for shipping.
- Thrift stores – not just for clothing and housewares! At the thrift stores I frequent, you can find items such as school/office supplies, along with craft supplies and small housewares and toys, in clear plastic bags hanging on racks or the wall. This is a great way to give items a second life for a good price. I’ve also found some new and barely-used backpacks and lunchboxes at thrift stores.
- Mercari – an online resale marketplace. It’s pretty straightforward, and unlike a lot of the marketplaces, does not focus on clothes but is more broadly inclusive of all sorts of items. I see a ton of listings of school supplies of all sorts. Use this link for $10 off your first purchase.
Take advantage of sales tax holidays
If you time your school supply shopping right, you can save a percentage of the cost without any extra effort. Many states offer “sales tax holiday” for school supplies on certain dates – in other words, on those days, you don’t pay sales tax. For example, where I live in Virginia, when you shop for school supplies, clothing, and also emergency preparedness products from August 1-3, you won’t pay sales tax. There are further restrictions about what items qualify and cost caps, so be sure to check those before heading to the store.
US states that offer a tax holiday for school supplies include:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Here’s the whole list of sales tax holidays with more information.
Shop the dollar store
My local Dollar Tree has pencils, pens, erasers, crayons, colored pencils, markers, highlighters, binders, folders, loose-leaf paper, notebooks and composition books, dry erase markers, scissors, and rulers. As always with discount stores, make sure that the cost per quantity/volume makes sense compared to purchasing from another retailer, and don’t buy anything too flimsy that needs to be durable (I would avoid any water bottles or lunch boxes at the dollar store) – but for simple supplies, it is a great option.
Use coupons and rebates
I try never to pay full price! Always check for coupons before you submit an online order (and before you go to a store in person.) Make sure you’re getting cash back from receipt scanning apps, too. I suggest:
- The Paypal Honey app, which has a browser extension that makes this automatic and very easy by inputting various coupon codes for you. I’ve saved $77 on recent purchases with no effort with Honey. Check it out to get started.
- Rakuten also offers a browser extension and mobile app that find cash back and coupons for you!
- Ibotta – Ibotta offers cash back via their app when you scan receipts for your purchase. Just make sure you’ve already saved the offer before you scan your receipt. It’s more useful for groceries, but does have offers for school supplies and other household goods. Get $5 free when you sign up with this link. To use your rewards, you’ll have the option of cash or gift cards.
- Fetch – this one is my favorite for ease of use, because you don’t need to save offers in advance. You simply scan your receipts after shopping, whether physical or virtually by connecting your email. Get free points to get started with this sign up link. Later, you can cash out your earnings as gift cards. I save mine up for Christmas shopping.
- Google coupons for the store. You never know!
- Rewards/loyalty points – check whether the store you’re shopping at offers loyalty points. I do some of my grocery shopping at Giant, and through their app I often find coupons for items I was planning to buy anyway – actually most frequently for non-food items like household goods and occasionally office and school supplies. I also find ThriftBooks’ free books program very fun, I never say no to free books. Sign up with this link and if you spend $30, you’ll get a free book reward. Highly recommend if your kids need textbooks!
Get cash back on your credit card
If you’re already using a credit card, make sure you know how your cash-back bonuses work and whether you need to activate a rotating bonus category.
Additionally, make sure you are familiar with any other cash back offers. I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card that has temporary cash back offers for dozens of stores, but I need to log in to add those to my card before I shop. They are often for 10% cash back, which is significant! (As long as it was a purchase I was planning to make anyway!) If you’re in the market for a new credit card, Chase is currently offering 100,000 points and a $500 travel credit if you sign up now and meet their spending criteria.
P.S.: Support your teachers
One thing I am always conscious of is supporting our schools and teachers. As long as I have the means, I will never cheap out in a way that leaves our classrooms less stocked or our teachers less prepared. It is a damn shame how little US teachers and schools get in the way of school supplies and how much has to come straight from the pockets of our underpaid teachers. That’s why I will always provide what is listed on the official supply lists from our schools.
Additionally, if you have a few extra dollars – particularly if you saved some from the tips this list – consider asking your children’s school or teachers what other supplies they might need, such as classroom furniture or books. Or, fulfill a wish on a teacher’s wishlist here or here.
Cheers to a great school year ahead! Check out my digital planning tips to help you and your kiddo to thrive this school year.
