How to Save Money on Back-to-School Shopping

These back-to-school shopping tips will make both your wallet and the planet very happy.

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Get ready to save

Back to school shopping may be a little different this year. (Like so many things).

But whether our kids are learning from home or in a classroom, they’ll need supplies. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects we’ll spend a record $33.9 billion on new gear in the United States this year, or $789.49 per family with children in elementary school through high school.

For many of us, though, 2020 hasn’t been so friendly to our bank accounts. And with more uncertainty looming on the horizon, this is as good a time as ever to save.

The good news is—whether you’re going virtual or in-person this year—there are lots of ways to assemble your kids’ school kits that will make your wallet happy, both now and in the future.

Bonus: often it’s better for the earth, too. (Look at us, tackling two crises at once!)

Do your homework

First, lay the groundwork. Gather those back to school supplies lists sent by your kids’ teachers, or write up your own. What books, notebooks, pens, clothing and other equipment will you need for each kid?

Then, take a look at your budget. How much do you want to spend on back to school shopping this year? (Remember to keep an eye on this as you hunt for the best back to school deals.)

Buy nothing

Ok, probably not nothing. But with a little work on the front end, you can save yourself some unnecessary purchases.

For one, take inventory of what you have at home. The cheapest school supplies are those you already own.

Turns out, our “office supplies” box is a real treasure chest. My hoard of notebooks, pens and printer paper should get us through the next few years or so. For both kids. Oh, and those 75 pencils and 43 pens… #minimalist.

Your next stop is your favorite “buy nothing” or “gift economy” groups, many of them on Facebook. They’re a convenient place to give away what you no longer need, and you can provide a new home to someone else’s sorted-out items. Maybe a family in your town is offering exactly the size 3 rain boots you were seeking for your kid.

We got lucky this summer when I asked around for a small kids’ backpack for summer camp. Sure enough, a local mom not only had a cute penguin bag but even dropped it off in our garage (not something I’d necessarily recommend with strangers, but we knew each other from a previous exchange). Mika’s been perfectly happy with it. And I feel the same about the $20 that stayed in our budget.

Girl with penguin backpack — Mika’s “new” backpack

Go secondhand

Thrift shops and other second-hand stores can be really helpful with checking things off your back to school shopping list.

One of my local favorites, Finger Lakes ReUSE, has a whole aisle of office supplies, including big bags of crayons, pencils, erasers, staplers, you name it. It can be hit or miss, but give it a try.

You can also check Craig’s List and ebay for bigger items or see whether Amazon or manufacturers directly offer them refurbished.

Multi-packs and 2-for-1 deals can bring the cost down for many back to school items. But do you really need them all? If not, share!

One of the reasons I ended up with dozens of those aforementioned pens is that I was lured in by some offer at Staples for a big bin of 50. (This was before I really cracked down on plastic and throw-away items.) By the time I ever get around to using them, half will have dried out. So I’m better off sharing the bounty with a friend.

pens in store — This store has got nothing on my pen hoard!
*Photo: Camille San Vicente, Unsplash*

Shop smart

For everything left on your list, hit the back to school sales and use these deal-hunting techniques:

Watch for sales: Sign up for the email lists of your favorite stores and watch for their sales and coupons. Don’t forget to unsubscribe as soon as you’re done with the back to school specials! As an alternative, I just discovered flipp.com, which puts all nearby store circulars in one place. That way you don’t have to give out your email address.
Be loyal: Take advantage of any store loyalty programs and extra coupons, e.g. in the Target app.
Ask for price matches and adjustments: I recently got half of my money back on a Gap t-shirt that went on sale after I’d purchased it – so check the store’s policies.
Find discounts: Shop around for Groupons and similar discount programs.
Check for credit card rebates: Check your credit cards for special offers. Some of my favorite American Express cards, such as the Blue Cash and the Delta Skymiles cards (this referral link gets you 35,000 bonus miles after $1000 in purchases in the first three months), regularly have some really great rebates: Most recently, we got back $50 on each card just for shopping at small businesses we frequent anyway.
Get cash back: Always check for cash back options, online and in store! Rakuten and Topcashback are two of my favorites online (and Rakuten also has an in-store rebate choice, but you have to link your credit card). Take a look at Topcashback’s back to school sales hub with some categories as high as 10% cash back. (I’ve seen the Honey browers extension advertised quite a bit, too, but haven’t tried it myself – let me know in the comments whether you recommend them.) Cashback Monitor makes it easy to decide which cashback program to use. Choose a store and it’ll show you all the current cashback rates.

Try Rakuten through this link and get $10 FREE when you make any $25 purchase.

Pay with a gift card: I LOVE Raise.com’s selection of discounted physical and digital gift cards. You can even purchase a card for the EXACT amount you need and use it only a minute later on your online (or in-store!) order. You’ll get a small rebate you can use on your next Raise.com purchase. PLUS, you can stack that with a cash back rebate from Rakuten other sites for the raise.com order you just submitted! Do I sound terribly excited?! I AM!

To get started with Raise.com, use this affiliate link and get $5 FREE to spend on your first purchase of any card sitewide.

Stack the savings: Putting it all together: I find school supplies near me or online, apply any available coupons (the Rakuten browser extension helps with that), pay with a discounted gift card I bought from Raise.com, get cash back via Rakuten on the purchase itself AND for my purchase of the gift card. Wait, we’re not done! Because I paid for the gift card by credit card, I actually get additional cash back there, as well. And if I’m lucky, Amex had a special offer for the store I just visited and will give me a few more $ back. If this sounds like a lot of work, it can be. It’s easier once you’ve got a routine down. I don’t typically bother going through all these steps for tiny purchases. But if you’re in the market for a new backpack, clothing or a laptop, this could well be worth it.

back to school scrabble tiles — *Photo: Pixabay*

Buy for the longterm

And my final tip, good for both your wallet and the planet: Buy the best quality you can afford, and you won’t have to repurchase some of these back to school items for quite a while.

Here are some suggestions for items that will last you for years:

Lamy fountain pen