The excitement and chaos of back-to-school shopping is already around the corner! Whether you’re a student yourself or you’re shopping for your kids, the rules of back-to-school sales remain the same. It doesn’t matter if your shopping list includes a box of crayons or a calculus textbook; when it comes to school supply sales, we’re all playing by the same rules.
Read on to discover a few helpful tips that will make your back-to-school shopping sprees stress-free!
Plan in Advance
The best way to snag deals on back-to-school shopping is by looking out for sales far in advance. The first people to plan for a sale are the ones who get the most out of the deals.
Start by making a definitive list of what you have, what you need, and what you want for the upcoming school year. Save money this fall by using the extra supplies you bought last year that have just been sitting in the drawer. For example, there’s no need to buy a whole new binder if you already have a good one that works. Backpacks can be washed, and pencils don’t expire. Decide which supplies are worth splurging on before you even hit the store so that you don’t have to think about it when fall rolls around.
Know Which Days to Shop
Check the schedules of your favorite local stores to see which days of the week will be the first day of a big sale. You want to be early to these sales, because other folks won’t hesitate to clear out the inventory, leaving nothing for those who couldn’t get there right on time.
Typically, bigger stores will start these back-to-school sales each Sunday of the week. Sunday is absolutely the best day to go if you want to make sure you get everything on your wishlist. Monday is also an okay bet, but there will be fewer options to choose from.
If you don’t get to the sale on Sunday or Monday, you’ll end up picking through haphazardly organized bins for the rest of the week. Plan to hit at least one sale on its first day so that you can knock out most of your shopping list in one fell swoop.
Don’t Forget Dollar Stores
There are plenty of items that you can get at a Dollar Store that will work just as well as the more expensive items you’ll find at a regular store. These include basic calculators, pens, pencils, and more:
- Clipboards
- Calendars
- Planners
- Erasers
- Notebooks
- Folders
- Scissors
- Glue
- Sticky Notes
We recommend starting at the Dollar Store before you even hit your other shopping destinations. The more items that you can check off your shopping list for only a dollar, the less money you’ll have to spend on items at your local Office Depot or Staples. You may even be able to adjust your budget so that you can put more money toward a nice graphing calculator, for instance, and less money on overpriced paper and pens.
Use these simple tips to make back-to-school shopping a breeze!
