| 7 Tips for a Frugal and Fruitful Back to School Season Posted: 04 Sep 2010 02:00 AM PDT Sending your kids back to school can be a time of great relief for parents who’ve run out of ideas on how to keep kids entertained but it can also be a pretty stressful time of year for many families from a financial standpoint. School supplies, uniforms, clothes and trips to the doctor can add up and leave many parents feeling the pinch of the back to school season. Of course, with a little planning and some financial savvy, back to school season doesn’t have to destroy your budget or leave you feeling stressed out. Here are some tips that can help you rein in the expenses of starting school. 
- Start saving early. No matter what kind of expenses you encounter in the back to school season, you can help offset them by saving a small amount each month. While dropping a couple of hundred dollars at once can see off-putting, saving fifty each month during the summer can make it seem a lot less financially overwhelming.
- Know what you have before you go. Before you ever head out to go shopping, search through your home to see what supplies you already have. You may find that there are many pens, pencils and notebooks lying around that are new and nice enough to head to school with your child. And don’t forget to look through your child’s closet for clothes that still fit and function for this year.
- Set a budget. If you really want to help yourself stay on top of your finances, set a budget for back to school spending. Once that money is gone, make sure kids understand that no more will be spent. It can help them make more frugal choices when it comes to clothes and supplies as well
- Focus on essentials first. Your priority when shopping for school supplies and clothes should always the essential items that are non-negotiable. This can mean a required set of paints or new jeans to replace the ripped ones from last school year. Buy these items first, then work with what you have left in your budget to get the other items you need.
- Shop around. Invest in a Sunday paper so that you can see the ads for all the local stores in your area. This way, you can pinpoint which places have the best deals on the things you need and save money in the process. Plan your purchases around your regular shopping and trips around town and you won’t even have to shell out for extra gas.
- Buy in bulk and share. If you’ve got a neighbour or friend that lives nearby with kids in the same grade as yours, consider buying supplies in larger amounts at a warehouse club or office supply store. You can split the cost and you’ll generally end up spending less than if you had shopped on your own. Plus, even if you end up with more than you need of an item, you won’t have to waste time and gas running out to replace supplies mid-school season.
- Reuse and recycle. If you can’t afford to shell out for new shoes, pants, shirts or uniforms for your kids, consider finding sources of used clothing instead. This can mean shopping at local thrift and consignment shops or swapping clothes with friends and relatives who have kids around the same size and age.
Sending your kids back to school doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank or pulling out your hair. With a little work, planning and budgeting you can save big on school supplies and take the stress out of the whole endeavour. Author Bio: This guest post is contributed by Tim Handorf, who writes on the topics of online colleges. He welcomes your comments at his email Id: tim.handorf.20@googlemail.com.
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