Back to school expenses
My oldest is just going into his 2nd year of preschool, so we won't have many expenses related to "back to school." I am curious though, for those of you who do have school-aged kids, what are your back to school expenses like? How much do you plan to spend on clothing and/or supplies?
BTS expenses
I have a 14 yr old...going to be a freshman. I definately watch for sales as much as I can, but it will probably hover around the $400 mark, and that's just a guess. I would probably be shocked if I totally kept track.
magic 3
We have 3 heading to school. The shoes kill us. No sandals and my kids seem to eat through a pair in 2 sec. The clothes we wait until late sept. If the summer clothes look yuck! we put them in a separate drawer and they're off limits. We bite the bullet later for coats and jeans. One year our MOPS did a swap meeting and I got a pair of snow boots. That was a nice surprise! The pass between sisters is nice. Avory won't need a coat this year. My guess is $700-$900 when it's all said and done.
Frugal Back to School Shopping
The first year my oldest went to school I was thrilled to be out buying back to school items. But now he is in 6th grade and I just look at book fees along! WOW! OK... its not cute anymore. We have come up with some ways to save money though. Maybe these will help you.
1. Wait an Extra Month or Two. Don't buy blue jeans just yet. They don't need them anyways. They still can wear shorts to school for another month or two.
2. Make a list by going through your kids clothes. Count how many underwear, socks, pants, t-shirts, etc they have and how many they need to make it through the week.
3. Check the class supply requirements. Do they really need a new book bag or is last years OK? Any item already on-hand is a bonus freebie, so check the house for rulers and protractors, pencils and binder paper.
4. Hit the Garage Sales for gentle used clothes. If your kids hate that you do that... take a bag from a name brand clothes store and put them in that way. THEN... when you bring them in tell your child you have to wash them first and take all the tags off.
5. Check the Sales Fliers
6. Start Early - waiting to the last minute can cost you more money and your child might not get everything he/she needs.
7. Buy on line. Have 3 or 4 kids going back to school. Buying in bulk on line is sometimes the best thing to do.
8. Give kids a budget. For more extravagant items, have them kick in a few bucks.
9. Stick to your list--and your budget.
10. And remember... If back-to-school is here, the holidays won't be far behind. Clearance-priced school supplies make great Christmas stocking stuffers. A quick trip after school begins--and once the items are marked down--can fill Santa's stockings inexpensively. I do this due to you always have to replace school supplies.
11. Lastly... not sure if they do it here but the schools my son's went to in Ohio you are able to buy a box at the end of the year for the next school year that has all the supplies in them already! I loved it due to you didn't have to go to a million different stores, you didn't have the pressure of saying no to your kids, and you know they got all the correct school supplies!
The average spent per kid to go back to school last year was a whopping $443.77, according to the National Retail Federation.
Joni Lochtefeld
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