5 Money Saving Back-to-School Shopping Tips

August 10, 2015, 3:57 pm

It’s August. The time for early morning wake-up routines, rushing to get to the school bus on time, and remembering when to pick your kids up is right around the corner. The following 5 back-to-school shopping tips may make this hectic transition a little easier on your wallet:

1. The Art of Price Matching - Shop at stores with price-match guarantees.
   1. Target and Staples will match prices from other stores and retail sites such as Amazon (you’ll need the competitor’s ad or other proof of a lower price for the same item).
   2. Discountschoolsupply.com will match a price and refund 10 percent of the difference if another store has it for less.
   3. The Walmart Savings Catcher can be used within a week of purchase. Enter your receipt number on the store’s website (or scan it on the Walmart app). The site will search for competitors’ prices from the past week. If a lower price is found, you’ll get an e-gift card for the difference.
   4. The ShopSavvy app can be used to scan any product’s bar code and ensure you’re getting the best deal.
2. Secret Supermarket Savings - Near the middle of summer, grocery stores and drugstores use smaller supplies to lure shoppers. For instance, Kroger stores nationwide have been known to mark down certain Crayola products, including a 10-pack of markers, which typically go for $2 to $3, to $1 each. And at one point, Walgreens stores charged 49 cents for a one-subject notebook (regularly $1.49). 3.
3. Buy Supplies that Last - L.L.Bean backpacks are famously durable, but at $30 and up, they’re not the most budget-friendly. However, the company has been known to cut prices to as low as $15. Even better is its satisfaction guarantee: You can return the pack for a full refund or replacement for any reason (broken zipper, change of heart about the color) at any time, even years later. JanSport bags also have a lifetime guarantee. Unlike L.L.Bean products, which are sold only directly through the company, JanSport is available practically everywhere.
4. Read for Free - Many of the world’s great works of literature and philosophy can be downloaded at no cost and printed in a variety of formats at Gutenberg.org.
5. Reuse What You Can - Why buy new every year? Opt for plastic folders, dividers and binders instead of flimsy cardboard ones. If last year’s spiral notebooks aren’t used up, tear out the old pages and decorate a new cover.

Sources: http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/money-shopping/back-to-school-shopping-tips