How do you shop to get your kids ready for back to school and how much is it costing you? The Krazy Coupon Lady did a post the other day entitled “How To Shop Back To School On A Budget” that I encourage you to check out. The National Retail Foundation has found that on average, people spend about $600 per child on back to school. I have to tell you that just blows my mind! I don’t know how a family can afford that amount. They say that just on school supplies, that most people spend about $96.39 per child.
I remember about 3 or 4 years ago hearing a group of moms talking about and complaining about how much it was costing them for their back to school shopping for their kids and I will be honest in saying that it freaked me out. However, as I listened to them continue their conversation I made note of some things. The first thing was that they were doing “Back To School” shopping trips where they were just deciding on a day to go buy everything from school supplies, clothing, shoes etc all in one trip. While I can see the nostalgia that can go along with the yearly trip, financially you get trapped into buying everything in one trip and paying whatever the prices are at that time. So I guess this is where I fall into the category of not being typical. My children don’t get the nostalgia of that back to school shopping trip. I start buying my kids clothes for their next size as I encounter the sales. Usually this means getting deals of at least 40-60% off and sometimes even greater. I simply refuse to pay regular price for anything. By shopping in advance for things I am not in the situation of “needing” something on a set day at a set price. I do this with shoes and jackets as well. My boys are getting to chose a new bag/backpack for school this year as their special item, but even then we are not paying regular price. I have had them show me what their choice is, as well as a backup choice. I then watch for the sales and or coupons on them and that is when I purchase them. I find it is all about the planning. I have even been able to incorporate getting these items into our weekly budget from the money I am saving couponing on grocery and household items. My older two boys’ winter boots were purchased in March where I was able to get boots that were priced $45 a pair for $11 a pair. This past weekend my 7year old was able to go on a date night with me where we found his school shoes on clearance and then to a movie. Then on Sunday when the weekly fliers came out in the paper, the new bag he wanted for school was marked down to just the right price $9. I have my kindergartner’s backpack left to get and I just discovered today that it is going on sale for 50% off tomorrow. All tallied right now, it is looking like I will have spent around $50 per child for back to school shopping! If you add in the clothes that I have bought over time to get ready for fall it is still going to come out to under $100 per child. To me it is all about the planning and preparation in advance and not leaving things until the last minute. How are you making your back to school fit into your budget?
Wait until you have a high schooler that is required to have a $120 (if you get it on sale and with the rebate) calculator. Then add in the $30 advanced placement chemistry book for $75 (used @ amazon) and chemistry lab book ($30 can’t find it cheaper ANYWHERE). And that is only for one of his AP classes at at a regular public school. That is how these averages are figured.
Wait until you have a child in high school. For advanced placement chemistry you need a special calculator ($120 if you get it on sale and a rebate) a $75 textbook (used @amazon) and a $35 duplicating lab recording notebook (Looked everywhere and couldn’t find it any cheaper because it is a specialty item). All this for a normal public high school. And that is only for ONE of the three AP classes he is taking. That is how these averages get figured out–some things skew the data.