Preparing children for school is one of the most expensive items of annual expenses. Summer is ending, we begin in a hurry to buy in stores all the necessary school supplies for study, but this is not always reasonable in terms of saving the family budget. Find out how you can buy all the necessary things for the school, but save a little.
Sinking fund
For any expensive purchases, you can create a depreciation fund. It allows you to accumulate a certain amount for a specific purpose, for a holiday or other event. In the same way you can save up for school expenses. Just every month you need to allocate a small amount from your salary. When the time comes to prepare for school, you will already have the funds for everything you need.
Shopping list
Start preparing for school by making a list of everything you need to get. This simplifies the whole process and ensures that you don’t forget anything and don’t buy anything extra. First, make a list of everything that will be needed at the school: from shoes, clothes, to office supplies. When you have a complete list, you can move on to the next item.
Perform a thorough inspection of the house
Check all that you have and may come in handy in the new school year. You’ll even be surprised when you see how much has remained since last year. Inspect existing clothing and shoes. Something else may come in handy for physical education or hiking in the forest. Divide things such as stationery and creative items into groups. Sometimes you can combine two or three partial sets of markers into one complete set.
With a little ingenuity, you can even turn old, used backpacks into brand new items that your child will love. After you have done a good audit, cross out everything you find from your shopping list.
Buy in bulk
Take your time to get all the school supplies in the first supermarket you come across. Do not forget that in wholesale stores all this can be bought much cheaper. Agree with the parents of your child’s classmates, select the day when you can wholesale a set of things for the school. Such purchases will cost you 20 percent less. You can also order wholesale school supplies in the online store. If your class has no experience with such purchases, it's never too late to put it into practice.
Search for the best deals
This is a simple but very effective way. Don't just pick things up here and there without prior research, especially when it comes to expensive items. Check upcoming sales at specific stores. Mark your list of where and what products are sold.
School supplies such as laptops, glue, calculators and the like are best bought from mid-July to August. At this time, retailers sell most of the stock and sell at the best prices, this will save you money. If possible, buy everything your children will need for the entire school year.
On the other hand, July and August are not the best months for buying school clothes. At the beginning of the school year, make the most of what your child already has, possibly adding one new thing for the first month at school. After that, wait until prices for goods for students begin to decline. The end of September is the best time to buy any additional items of clothing that your child needs.
Keep in mind when buying electronics and other expensive items, most of the discounts and sales in stores begin on Sundays. School goods are selling fast, so shop at the beginning of the week.
If your child has grown significantly over the summer, he will need all new clothes, include in the list the most necessary things for the first months of study. Distribute the remaining purchases for the next few months. Remember to go shopping with your child. This applies not only to clothing that needs to be tried on. All school items that you purchase should be liked by the child, otherwise they will simply be at home.