Use these frugal tips to help you save money on back to school supplies shopping this year.
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If you aren’t careful, back to school can completely ruin your family's budget. Before you know it you could spend hundreds of dollars on each child and still discover that something is missing. But, there are a few things you can do to save money on back to school supplies.
Reuse Lunch Boxes and Backpacks
Unless there is something obviously wrong with last year’s lunch box and backpack, it is perfectly OK to reuse them. It may not make them the coolest kids with the newest stuff, but chances are the only one who is going to know that they are reusing the previous year’s bags are your child themselves.
This is one area where I tend to purchase plain, high quality items rather than fun lunch boxes and backpacks. Many backpack companies, like Jansport and Eastport, offer lifetime warranties on their bags. It is worth the investment when your child can use it all through school.
Shop on Back to School Tax-Free Weekends
Some states have introduced Back to School Tax-Free weekends which are…well, exactly what they say. You can do your back to school shopping on these weekends and the savings really does add up!
As of the 2020, the following states offer Tax-Free Weekend: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Each state has different stipulations on what is included, but you can regularly get not just school supplies but also coats, clothes, shoes, blankets, computers, and books.
Heather, from Passion for Savings, has the complete list of Tax-Free Weekend dates here.
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