Back-to-school shopping can get expensive. But a few basic guidelines can help you create a budget-friendly shopping list and save big on all kinds of school supplies. From crayons to textbooks, there is a lot to spend on so that you can prepare your child carefully for the school year. Determine where to get the best deals, how to reduce spending costs, and how to use parent-friendly Tax-Free Weekend in this savings guideline.
Austin Back to School Shopping Tips to Help You Save Time and Money and Minimize Stress Too:
Do an Inventory
Take an inventory of the supplies your kid already has. Look for abandoned school materials or overstock at your home. You’ll be surprised at the forgotten pens, notebooks, and rulers you can find inside the drawers or last year’s backpack. Reusing things you already own not only saves you lots of bucks but it is also good for the environment too.
Go through your Child’s Wardrobe
Create a list of what should be replaced. Have your kids try on anything that looks too small, tight, or short, and dispose of whatever they will not use. Look through your child’s unwanted stuff and see if you can resell anything; there are a few resale shops around Austin, like Once Upon a Child.
Print out the School Supply List and Keep it With You
You will find some shops that print up the school supply list, but they can run out, and it can be tough to read the list from your phone while trying to concentrate on finding and crossing off the items. If you want to check out more than one retail outlet, keep an eye on items with the notes on your phone.
Set a Spending Budget
Never buy a lot of clothes without your kids. It’s not a good deal if your kid won’t wear it. Provide them with a budget, and they will be more interested in shopping and picking out their clothes or styles.
Buy Durable Items
Invest in quality items unless you are alright with replacing them within the same school year. Buy a durable backpack you can reuse next school year and a reusable lunchbox.
Shop at Multiple Shop
Most stores will have several underpriced products, but you can quickly lose those savings with other expensive stuff. So if you have the time, shop around to find the best deals or try shopping online, so stores have exclusive online deals and sales.
Shop in Stores with Price Matching
Compare rates on the internet and in flyers before heading out to buy. See which retail outlets have a price match policy and which are running the best sales.
Make use of Tax-Free Weekend
August 5 – August 7, 2022, will be the Texas yearly sales tax holiday. Give your support to Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free shopping for most things families need before school starts. Qualifying items can be purchased tax-free from a Texas store or an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. The stuff you buy before or after the sales tax holiday does not qualify for an exemption, and no tax refund is also available. So beat other shoppers by waking up early and getting to the stores right when they open.
Use Apps for Pricing and Discount Rates.
Scan the tag for instant price comparison with Shop Savvy and Redlaser for price verification; for coupons, use Retail Me Not and Walmart Savings Catcher to get price modifications.
