Friday, July 24, 2009

School Supplies

OK, so it feels like summer (minus the humidity, but I'm not complaining!!!) and we are weeks and weeks away from the start of the school year... but it would be wise (and frugal) to begin purchasing your kid's supplies NOW!

Annually, mid July hosts the beginning of the school supply wars between some of our most competitive local stores... Target, Meijer & Wal-Mart try to tempt you into their stores, Staples and even the drug stores like CVS and Walgreen's have luring tactics as well. What is a savvy shopper to do?

1. Don't nickle and dime yourself to death!!! Who cares if the note books that your kids need are $.02 less expensive at Walmart this week... if Walmart is not on your list of stores to shop at this week... pick up your (still deeply discounted) supplies where you have intended on shopping.

2. Over purchase!!! What I mean to say is think worst case scenario for the entire year... If your third grader has been asked to purchase 6 folders for school, than purchase 12-18 so you can replace them (cost effectively) throughout the year.

3. Party? Think of school supplies like crayons for party favors for a February birthday... or as great additions to a coloring book for an older sibling when a new baby has been born and you are bringing a gift for the baby... think of purchasing your Scotch tape NOW to wrap your Christmas gifts with!

4. Donate!!! See if your church, local organization or local school district is collecting items for kids who desperately need your assistance! Who can resist purchasing a (couple) box of perfect tipped Crayola's?

Here is another tip for purchasing backpacks for your kids this year...

This week if you buy $10 in any combination of Kellogg's, Keebler, Sunshine, and Eggo products, you get $10 off any backpack instantly at check-out. In addition, this week the backpacks are on sale Buy One Get One for $1. So I got $75 worth of backpacks for $41. If you were picking backpacks for littler kids, you could certainly choose cheaper ones and spend a lot less out of pocket. I was getting one for my daughter who is going to High School in the fall, so she needed a bigger/nicer one. But I was thrilled to get the one for my son for $1, and get $10 off the expensive one. Plus, $2 in Meijer Cash for every $30 you spend. (Thanks Becky!)