Paper, pens, notebooks, etc.

One of the best ways for a person to save on school supplies such as paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, binders etc., is for them to use what they already have. Many people buy too many school supplies each year and end up with leftovers at the end of the year. Using partly used notebooks, binders, papers, pens, etc., that are leftover from the previous year can eliminate waste and save a person money.

Sometimes, though, kids need new school supplies at the beginning of each school year, either because they used up and wore out the previous school year's supplies, or because a new class requires an extra binder or notebook etc. The best way for a person to save money on these things is to watch for the ads on television and in the newspaper. A person can even visit stores such as Office Max, Target, Walmart, etc., to pick up their ads or see what is on sale.

Usually school supplies will go on sale at these stores as early as the end of July, but definitely by the first or second week of August. There is some strategy that goes along with buying school supplies besides just seeing what is on sale. For example, a person should not be in a rush to buy all the school supplies at once. Being patient and going to more than one store can help a person end up saving more money on the supplies. When it gets closer to the first day of school the stores may continue to put the supplies on sale, possibly for less than the supplies cost back in July.

School clothes

School clothes are usually the most expensive back to school item that parents purchase for their children. But there are several ways that a person can save on purchasing school clothes for their children.

One way for a parent to save money on school clothes is to watch for sales. Just as with notebooks, binders, and pencils, many stores have back to school sales. But parents should be careful to make sure that the prices of clothes that the store claims to have on sale are actually a lower price than they are normally. And of course a person should also shop around when they are looking for a particular item of clothing. Stores will have different prices and sometimes a person can save a significant amount of money by shopping at more than one store.

Shopping thrift stores or secondhand stores are becoming more and more trendy these days. And shopping at these types of stores is also a great way for a person to save money on clothes. Many times people can find gently used items that look very close to new at these stores and spend hundreds of dollars less on their wardrobe.

Another great way for a person to save money on back to school clothes is to have a clothing swap. Parents that have children who are in a couple of years of each other can get together and trade clothes that their children have grown out of but that are still in good condition.

Shoes

Sometimes kids tend to be a little harder on shoes than they are on their clothes. This can make having a shoe swap a little difficult. But there are some other ways for a person to save some money on school shoes.

Looking for back to school sales is one of the ways a person can save money on school shoes for their children. Another way is for the parent to watch for sales throughout the year. This does require a little bit of guessing since a child's feet will grow and the parent may not be sure what size they will be the next school year. But watching for sales throughout the year can usually save a person a lot of money on shoes.