8 Back-To-School Hacks

As sad as it may be, summer is halfway over and school is just around the corner! Instead of waiting around and doing all your back to school shopping at the last minute, save money with these 8 easy money-saving hacks!

1. Tax-Free Weekend
One of the easiest ways to save money is to do all the shopping during your state’s tax free weekend. This will end up saving you a LOT of money. The only downside is that you’ll end up having to deal with the crazy crowds of shoppers. Here’s a link to find out when your state’s tax-free weekend is: https://www.freetaxweekend.com/

2. Utilize Rebate/Coupon Apps
There are great rebate/coupon money-saving apps out there, like Ibotta. You simply shop, scan your receipt, and get money back in the form of gift cards or you can tie it directly to your PayPal account. This app works at grocery stores, Target, Walmart and many more!

3. Shop Price Match Stores
Many stores have price match policies, where they’ll match any cheaper price you can find. This money-saving trick requires some time and research ahead of time, but it will be well worth the effort to buy all your supplies at one store. Stores such as Walmart or Staples have these price match guarantee policies!

4. Reuse Old Supplies
As soon as you get your children’s school supplies list, raid through all the little nooks and crannies in your house and see what you can check off of the list before you head to the store. There’s bound to be a forgotten box of crayons somewhere, so there’s no sense in buying another one!

5. Stock Up Ahead of Time
It’s way cheaper to buy in bulk. So, if you have multiple kids going through school, just stock up for them all at once! Either that, or you could go in on the shopping list with some other moms and all save money together.

6. Amazon Back to School Deals
The nice thing about Amazon, is that if you’re a Prime member, it’s free shipping and you get everything in two days! You can knock out all your back-to-school shopping from the comfort of your couch. Amazon also typically has lower prices than what you can find in retail stores, so join their newsletter and watch out for those deals!

7. Dollar Store
This hack is really a no-brainer. It may not be the one-stop-shop for all your school supplies, but they will have most of the basic necessities. Just remember that the quality you’re getting is exactly what you’re paying!

8. Leave the Kids at Home
The kids may really want to pick out their own school supplies, so this might be difficult, but if possible, do the shopping without them. The flashy folders and superhero-branded products may be eye-catching, but they’re also going to be crazy marked up! If you’re set on saving the cash, then stick to the plain stuff.

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