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Back to School, Not Back to Broke
Cost-cutting Ideas for School Supplies
By April E. Clark
For the Peterson family, the annual tradition of back-to-school shopping compares to a favorite holiday. "Shopping for back-to-school supplies is a big event in our household," Peterson says. "It ranks right up there with selecting a Halloween pumpkin or a Christmas tree. The kids love to pick out their school supplies."
With three children so close in age, Peterson also continually searches for savings ideas. In her experience, she has found that investing in quality items, rather than purchasing cheaper brands each year, proves beneficial in the long run. "In the past, I've bought good backpacks that the kids can use year after year," she says. "I always write my child's name on everything to make sure the items can be used again next year, and I use a permanent marker so the name won't rub off."
If a tight back-to-school budget this year does not allow for investment in name brands of backpacks, clothing and other accessories purchased from department stores, the Internet may be another option to save money. New and gently used items including Tommy Hilfiger shirts, MUDD jeans and Tupperware back-to-school snack sets can be found on eBay at more than half their retail price. Also, eBay offers a "Summer Fashion Brand Blowout" that includes top-dollar labels such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy, The Gap, Banana Republic and Ralph Lauren/Polo at considerably lower prices than offered at the shopping malls or retail outlets.
To save on new school supplies this fall, such as backpacks, lunch bags, pens, pencils, notebooks, calculators and craft accessories, parents can log on to office supply Web sites. Online stores such as Staples.com and Officedepot.com both feature hundreds of back-to-school items, and they offer free delivery on orders of $50 more. This not only saves a trip to the store, but can also provide savings of up to half off the retail price of many name-brand school supplies.