Back to School Shopping on a Shoe String Budget

Dr. Stephen Jones Are you worried about your back-to-school shopping bill? Shopping for back-to-school items can be a very costly adventure for most families. Some parents rush out to the store and purchase back to school items without a list. Unfortunately, a shopper can pay 20 to 30 percent more by not having a list and considering the cost of the items you are purchasing. You should have a shopping plan that starts early during the summer. The sales that you see at the end of the summer may not be the best cheapest price. It is better to purchase back to school items when you can shop with patience. When you’re in a rush to make a purchase and there is no planning involved you pay more. One of my major recommendations is to plan your shopping dates. If you have a plan, you can avoid making unnecessary purchases and tips in your car or on public transportation. It’s amazing how many items you can add to your shopping cart that you did not intend to purchase. It's better to do your shopping before you go on vacation during August. It seems that when most families return from a late summer vacation, classes are not far away. If you do not have an inventory of the things you already have you will make costly purchases. Some shoppers stay away from the dollar store because they believe that these items are inferior. There are tremendous savings right in the dollar store. You can purchase binders, composition books, pencils, pens, crayons for a dollar each. Some of these items are perfectly good but other stores have sold them to the dollar store. Start shopping at the dollar store and you will find some great savings. There are some other valuable back-to-school shopping tips to consider. Here are my top seven: (1) Ask retailers about special back to school discounts. (2) Shop in bulk and share with a group of friends (BJs, Cosco etc). (3) Search for a good laptop on websites like Dell and Apple. (4) Ask your local bookstore about their next sales day and check on Amazon. (5) Check of items you have on your shopping as you purchase them. (6) Ask your friends where they are getting the best sales (7) Use the App on your cell phone to catch sales, Staples, Office Depot or Walmart stores Each year the number of parents who are shopping online is growing. If you shop online many retailers offer discounts and free shipping. If you are disciplined, you will save money and purchase just the item you need from each website. Some schools require certain clothes like Kaki pants and a green shirt. These items can be found on clothing websites too. The websites for Target and Walmart offer many of these clothing items. If you do your research early you can find a lot of savings. These tips all work when you apply them. Try something new and you will find that your savings ideas will explode. The best way to enjoy your back-to-school experience is organizing a plan that you will follow. Involve your children by getting them to make lists and look for discounts. You can give them points toward the purchase of something they want. Getting a child’s participation will be a great way to make their new school year exciting. You can look on the school website to determine the items that your child needs. Every student wants to feel like they are prepared for the new school year. Let your back-to-school purchases be catalyst for an exceptional new year. There is no time like today to get the best sales of the shopping season. Dr Stephen Jones is a speaker education advocate and author of several college preparation books The Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate scholarship Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship G Guide. Add these books to your shopping list at http://www.DrJonesBooks.com or email stephenjoness@rcn.com Dr. Stephen Jones Books 1. Seven Secrets of How to Study 2. Ultimate Scholarship Guide 3. Ultimate Parents Guide 4. http://www.DrJonesbooks.com Dr. Jones Parenting Online Course Parents course: https://teachit.bz/parents Dr. Stephen Jones Podcast App Join my podcast on the Anchor App which is titled Education Central https://anchor.fm/stephen-jones91