As a child, I looked forward to back-to-school time every year, my parents would take us shopping, and I would look forward to all my new stationery, and school clothes. As a parent, it seems like back-to-school shopping can really creep up on you. I've really streamlined the entire back-to-school process for my family. Which has allowed me to start the process sooner, and work on our back-to-school shopping list. Below, I'm sharing tips that have helped me save on my back-to-school shopping finds.

Create A-List

It's so easy to get to the store and forget all about your wants/needs, it's so easy to overspend once you walk into a store without a list.

Budget

Create a budget and stick to it! Most schools provide a supply list, use that list to create a budget, and figure out how much you're going to allot to school clothes.

Cheap vs Value

As a parent, it's so easy to go school shopping for something and it's a cheap price which is great for the moment, however, it doesn't have any value. For example, I purchased a book bag for my son at one of my favorite stores, it was a "cheap" price. The bookbag lasted two weeks tops, I found myself looking for a bookbag, wasting time, and spending more money. The replacement bag I purchased was from L.L.Bean. I never purchased a book bag for my son again, to this day he still has the book bag. I never had any issues with the bag. Though they changed this return policy, the bookbag was of great value.

Tax-Free Week

Most states offer tax-free weeks, do a quick search to see when your tax-free week is.

Shop Sales

Most stores have sales for back school, make sure to signup for all of your favorite store's newsletters and text alerts for sales.

Rakuten

Rakuten offers cashback on all of your favorite stores, I've been using them for years, especially during the holidays, and it's always nice to receive my cashback check in the mail.

Know What Supplies You Already Have

Know what supplies you already have, towards the end of the school year I typically place all of my child's school supplies in a basket. Once back to school time starts, I typically go through those supplies to see what's still needed.

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