Students need school supplies every year. Depending upon exactly what is needed, the costs can definitely add up rather quickly—especially if you have more than one child. So, here are some tips on how to save on supplies for school.
First of all, make sure that you pay attention to all of the back-to-school sales ads that come out in the newspaper. While not all of these sales are worthwhile, many do contain excellent deals. The challenge, though, is to find the true bargains.
Most ads will have what are called “loss leaders” on the front or first pages of the ad. These are usually the best deals, meant to draw in the customers. Check out these first. Many times you may be able to find specials on notebook paper, folders, pens, and more—often at incredibly cheap prices. Look through the rest of the sales ad, of course, but be wary—many of the other items in the ad will not be very good bargains. The store wants to lure you in with the fantastic specials from the front page in the hope that you will purchase some of the over-priced merchandise throughout the rest of the store.
Check a lot of sales ads and shop around. This may mean buying pens and pencils at one store, backpacks at another, and folders and notebooks at yet another. Also, buy more than you need—your kids will need more supplies as the year goes on. So, it is smart to stock up now when everything is at a marvelous price, rather than wait until your child needs supplies again later and being forced to pay full price for the items.
These strategies will help you to save on school supplies every year, and they will work for kids of any age and any grade level.