School Shopping - 10 Tips on how to save on Back-To-School Shopping!

Back to school shopping is upon us and regardless of your economic situation everyone wants to save money. The average household is will spend over $500 on back to school spending according to several surveys recently taken. Haircuts, school supplies, cloths, shoes and much more are all on the list. Households have begun shopping much earlier than in the past, beginning as early as July. Over 25% of households are shopping online as shipping is typically next day and prices can be much lower. Here are a few tips on how you can save money on your back-to-school shopping!

1. Have a specific list of what is needed prior to beginning your shopping. In-store shopping during the back-to-school rush is geared towards impulse buying and putting the unnecessary in the cart. If possible shop without the kids or shop online for what you specifically need. Online shopping typically can assist in saving a phenomenal amount of money.
2. After compiling a list of what is needed begin the shopping at home. See what supplies you still have from last year
3. Stock up with supplies at the end of every school season. Pricing tends to pull back tremendously. Consider waiting till the beginning of October you'll notice a large decrease in price as the back-to-school rush is complete. Only purchase necessary supplies for the first few weeks of school and then begin the shopping in October. Typically you might learn that all the required supplies weren't really needed.
4. Set a strict budget and if shopping with the children include them on the amount each has to spend. Explain that purchasing required supplies is priority verse purchasing what really might not be needed.
5. Households with multiple children should consider purchasing in bulk. Pens, pencils, notebooks and more can be purchased in case quantities to save even more.
6. Households without multiple children consider purchasing with other friends larger quantities and splitting merchandise purchased.
7. Become a fan of the stores you shop with on Facebook as many will have special sale prices for fans. Sign-up for newsletters for coupons from stores you shop with.
8. Purchase quality verse the lowest cost. The lowest cost item can occasionally add to your total annual cost if you need to consistently replace due to breaking. Binders are common for having problems due to poor quality, as are pens.
9. Students purchasing textbooks should search for dependable online sites. Savings by shopping online can be as much as 85% compared to student school stores.
10. Purchase must have supplies before the season begins like calculators, backpacks and other guaranteed purchases. These tend to have the biggest mark ups because of their necessity.