Back-to-school shopping saving tips

The holiday season is almost over and with schools opening early this year (January 9) as parents we have to gear up for back-to-school even earlier. A lot of our spending might have been splurged over the Christmas holidays with little or no thought for back-to-school.

While kids might be excited about heading back to school, this might be a stressful time for parents who have little or no money for school necessities.  What I normally do after getting my bonus, I usually use a sum of my salary to buy my kids stationery and school uniforms in December. This has helped me over the years as  I realised that I can’t save money for January, so it was just better to get the school shopping out of the way.

Here are a few tips that have helped me get through back-to-school shopping sanely.

>Shop for school uniforms such as long sleeve shirts and tracksuits in summer, when most shops have summer sales and discounts on winter clothing.

>Stick to the stationery list given at school and don’t waste money on unwanted items, always look out for the most affordable range and don’t buy extra supplies no matter how cute your kid may find them to be.

> Head to supermarkets for basic supplies such as great deals on pens and other school stationery. This will also be convenient while you are doing your grocery shopping.

>Get your kids involved in covering their school books, you don’t have to buy the most expensive school branded exercise covers, you can buy the brown paper school cover and get your children to personalize their books by cutting out beautiful photos from the magazines and stick them in as decorations on their books.

>For your little children buy bright stationery for them such as pencil cases, pencils, erasers, and other goodies, this way you can keep them from disappearing or having the same stationery as other kids in school.

>Lastly, as a parent you are in charge of what your child eats in school, therefore plan their weekly lunch, this way you do not only get to save money, but you also get your child to eat a variety of sandwiches and fruits within the week.

Always remember to mark your child’s belongings with name tags so that they are easy to find when lost in the classroom. Remember to also pay your child’s school fees monthly if you can’t afford to pay all of it at once, this way you avoid being called to the school to discuss your child’s outstanding school fees during the last term of the year.