Tag: budget tips

Essential Back to School Savings Strategies

Did you know August is Back to School Month? Are you ready? Sending your children back to class does not have to break the bank. Start with a plan to stay within your budget. If you are searching for tips, check out the following practical, family-friendly ways to save money while still setting your kids up for success.

wooden cubes with letters and color pencils
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1. Shop What You Already Have

Before buying anything new, go through your supplies already on hand. Keep track of your inventory or supplies to focus on essentials.

  • Supplies: Gather last year’s supplies. Find pencils, binders, folders, calculators, and backpacks.
  • Test: Take your time to test markers and pens instead of replacing everything. Check for tears and other
  • Reuse: Find last year’s lunchboxes and water bottles to reuse to start school.

2. Buy Smart

Carefully go over your inventory list with the school’s supply list for your child’s grade. Create a shopping list.

  • Ads: Check store flyers for weekly deals and specials. For example, search for 25¢ basic notebooks.
  • Price Comparison: Compare prices at different places like Walmart, Target, and your local dollar stores.
  • Off Brand: When possible, buy store brand items. In most cases, the items are just as good
  • Buy Bulk: Split bulk items with another parent.
  • Start With the Necessities: Buy your basic supplies early. Then wait until after school starts for clearance deals on extras items.
  •  Use the Teacher’s List: Avoid overspending by sticking to your teacher’s list.

3. Save on Clothes

Sort out your child’s clothes. Create a list of “must haves” to return to school. Donate any clothes that no longer fit. Discard stained or unusable clothing.

  • Pick From Your Closet: After sorting your child’s clothing, pick outfits to start the school year. Focus on mix-and-match basics instead of full outfits.
  • End of Summer Deals: Shop specials, clearance items, and end of summer deals. Summer clothing is still a great option to begin the school year.
  • Shop Secondhand: Thrift stores and consignment shops can be goldmines for back-to-school outfits. Visit your local thrift stores for the basics.  Let your kids pick 1–2 “fun” items to feel excited about going back to school.

4. Pack Lunches (and Snacks!)

  • School Lunches: Daily lunch costs quickly add up. Check with your child’s school to learn about free or reduced lunch programs.
  • Lunches From Home: Prep simple, budget-friendly meals. Consider peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, wraps, cut fruit or homemade lunches.
  • Reusable Containers: Use reusable containers to avoid waste and save money.  

5. Use Community Resources

Check for different events in your community to help with your back-to-school costs.

  • Community Events: Check local churches, your school district, and libraries for free supply drives,
  • Social Media: Join local Facebook Groups, Mom to Mom Groups or  Buy Nothing Groups. Post your needs within the groups. Many offer free or low-cost items.  
  • Ask: Do not be afraid to post your needs to your social media accounts. Often friends or relatives have extra supplies left over from older children who do not use them.
  • Backpack Events: Some areas offer backpack giveaways. Depending on the type of event, the backpacks may contain school supplies.

Kids do not need all brand-new items to succeed. Confidence, routine, and feeling prepared matter more than name brands.

Ways to Wrap Christmas Gifts on a Budget

The Christmas season is here. Did you check everyone off your gift-giving list? Now comes the fun part, wrapping all those Christmas presents. Did you spend more than you wanted on gifts? Now, are you trying to save money on wrapping your Christmas gifts this year? Wrapping gifts on a budget can be creative and fun.

colorful drawing: Christmas tree and gifts

If you are searching for inspiration, consider the following ways to wrap Christmas gifts on a budget.

  1. Reuse Materials: Save and reuse gift bags, wrapping paper, and ribbons from previous occasions. Using a little creativity, used wrapping paper and bags are perfect for Christmas gifts.
  2. Brown Paper: Plain brown packing paper can be a budget-friendly and versatile option. If your online shopping products arrive packed in brown paper, save for wrapping gifts. Decorate the paper with drawings, paint, stickers, or stamps. Decorating used paper is a fantastic art activity for children.
  3. Newspaper: Do you still receive community newspapers or buy one at the newsstand? Old newspapers make unique and eco-friendly wrapping paper. Like the brown paper, paint and decorate the newspaper for a festive activity.
  4. Fabric Scraps: Use fabric scraps or old scarves as reusable gift wraps. Or go to your local dollar store and buy scarves to wrap gifts. Many dollar stores carry Christmas-themed scarves this time of year.
  5. DIY Wrapping Paper: Create your own wrapping paper by decorating plain paper with hand-drawn designs or stamps. Download free printable gift wrap templates and designs from the internet to add to your plain paper.
  6. Gift Tags: Make your own gift tags from spare paper, index cards, or cardboard.
  7. Dollar Stores: Check out dollar stores for affordable wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons.
  8. Gift in a Jar: Place small items in a mason jar. Decorate the with a ribbon and a homemade label.
  9. Simple Ribbons: Sometimes, a simple ribbon can make all the difference. You can find them at a low cost.
  10. Reusable Bags: Place gifts in reusable bags or backpacks.

Remember, the thought and effort you put into your gift and wrapping can mean more than expensive materials. Get creative! Have fun! Merry Christmas!

Tips for Back to School Shopping on a Budget

A new school year is right around the corner. Are you ready? Or is your budget a little tighter than normal this year?  Getting your children ready to go back to school does not need to be stressful. With a little planning, you can send your children back to school and stay within your budget.

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Make Lists

Whether you use a phone app or buy a spiral notebook, lists are a must when preparing for the new school year. Stay organized. Write out a list of each child’s needs for back to school.

Before Shopping Check School Guidelines

Children seem to grow a couple of inches over the summer months. The start of school may require an upgraded wardrobe. Prior to back-to-school shopping, check your child’s school website or handbook for any changes in dress code requirements.  

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Check the Closets

Now, time to get busy. Start by checking your child’s current clothing. Carefully, inspect each piece of clothing for potential school-appropriate outfits. Older children can help in this process. When searching for back-to-school outfits, use this time to clean out unwanted or too-small pieces of clothing. Sort your children’s clothes into piles.

  • School Appropriate: The pile consists of clothing suitable to start the current school year. Even summer clothing should be part of your wearable inventory. Many autumn days are still warm. Extending the life of summer clothes is a money saver.
  • Home Wearable: The pile consists of clothing only suitable for stay-at-home days or playtime. The clothes may look worn but still in good condition.
  • Donation Pile: Clothing still in good condition but no longer usable. The clothes may be too small, do not fit properly, or not a favorite with your child. The clothes in this pile may be suitable for resale at a consignment shop, garage sale, or donation at your nearest charity. Advertising your child’s unwearable clothes on social media for free is a great way to help another child in the community.
  • Discard: Clothes with stains or unrepairable holes go into this pile. Cut the clothes into small pieces to use for rags, crafts, or discard.

The pile system is the perfect opportunity to assess your child’s immediate clothing requirements for back to school. Make a detailed inventory of wearable clothes to help prepare your shopping lists. Remember to check footwear too.

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Time to Shop

Use your list of essentials to start your back-to-school shopping.

  • Update Current Clothing: When creating your different piles of clothing, did you notice any clothing that could use updating? Here is a perfect time to get creative. Sew on new buttons or dye clothing to bring back vibrant colors. Add accessories to upgrade current pieces of clothing. For example, a vest or sweater can change the look of an entire outfit.
  • Shop Different Consignment and Thrift Shops: Start shopping at your local second-hand stores in your area for your children’s back-to-school clothes.  Thrift shops are ideal for staying within your budget. Older children may find pieces of clothing unique to their personal style.
  • Shop Area Garage and Yard Sales: Like you, other parents are preparing for the upcoming school year. Garage sales get rid of unwearable clothing items at a low cost. Depending on the amount of use, some articles of clothing appear brand new.
  • Clearance Section: When children start going back to school, the weather in many areas is still warm. The good news, many clothing stores discount summer wear to make room for winter items. Discounted clothing is a great way to start the back-to-school year.
  • Comparison Shop: Sign up for ad updates from your favorite department stores. Many companies provide discounts for registering your e-mail. Use the Internet, local newspaper inserts, and store websites to comparison shop. Utilizing all the different ads is a money-saving opportunity.

Going back to school is an exciting time for children. As a parent, you may worry about your budget. Preplan to find the needed essentials for your child’s wardrobe.