According to Dr. Stephen Jones, parents can save thousands
of dollars by mapping out a back to school shoe string budget. Annually the cost of going back to school
continues to rise. Supplying one child
for a k12 school or college can cost between $300 and $1000. In fact one student recently said a book he
purchased cost $200. While this may not
be the norm it is cause for alarm for parents who have several children.
Parents must make difficult choices regarding the quality of materials their
children will use to present term papers and projects that are due during the
school year. Often parents get so busy during
the summer that they fail to plan a school supply budget and they end up running
around from store to store trying to reduce the cost of book bags, calculators,
text books, computers and etc.
It is clear that the retail stores are doing their research
and they know that parents will flood the stores around the third week of August. Most parents would prefer to go to one store
to get all of their supplies but they look in the papers and discover that the
prices vary from store to store. Dr.
Jones says that parents can save hundreds of dollars by making wise
purchases. Here’s how parents can save
hundreds of dollars:
1. Don’t shop
at the last minute right before school is about to start.
2. Identify a discount school supply store
so that you don’t end up shopping at the local corner store.
3. Check the internet for sales at websites
such as overstock.com. Get together with
friends and buy some things in bulk.
4. Don’t be afraid to buy some clothing at
a thrift store. You can save hundreds of dollars.
5. Check your supplies from last year
before you go out to buy new supplies.
You will reduce the chances that you are purchasing items that you have stored
from last year.
6. Ask your local school where they order
their supplies from and contact the store for a catalogue or website.
7. Consider purchasing certain items at
the Dollar Store near you.
8. Purchase books at discount websites
that are on the internet
It’s amazing that some parents are willing to spend more
money because they are unwilling to invest time to uncover savings. The hundreds of dollars that are saved can
help with the purchase of a new computer and printer. Don’t cave in to the
temptation to putting your purchases on a credit card. The credit card debts that parents obtain at
the beginning of the school year can last until the next summer if a parent is
not cautious. Parents who are shopping
on a shoe string budget recognize that credit cards are potholes that will take
you thousands of dollars off track.
Mobilize family and friends who can keep an eye out for
special school supply sales. Parents can
use a number of methods to stay in touch.
First consider using the cell phone to create a list of people who will
be looking out for certain supplies that you have identified. Also, friends and family can contact you
immediately when they discover a good sale.
Parents can give friends and family money in advance or ask them to pay
for it and agree to pay them back. Using
e-mail can also be a good method to share websites that offer the products at
prices that are not available at the stores.
The links to website can be put right within the text of the e-mail,
which makes it easy fro a parent to make a purchase right away.
You can save thousands of dollars by
shopping on shoe string budget. Get
started right away and you will not regret it.
Dr Stephen Jones is
education consultant author of three books the Seven Secrets of How to Study,
the Parent's Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide
available at http://www.sevenbooks.net
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