Buying back to school supplies? These tips can save you money

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – According to a LendingTree survey back to school shopping has become less affordable for many Americans, add to that many parents are being asked to pitch in for classroom supplies as well.

“If you are feeling a little stressed out about money and back to school, you are definitely not alone,” said LendingTree’s Chief Consumer Finance Analyst Matt Schulz in a recent interview. “But the good news is, there is plenty that you can do to extend that budget and help yourself out.”

Shulz offered tips for back-to-school shoppers, including to begin shopping early, and not just for better selection.

”Starting early gives you the opportunity to shop around to different places. It gives you the chance to take advantage of sales, and it just gives you the opportunity to spread that cost out over a few different paychecks, so it doesn’t necessarily hit you as hard as it might if you just did it all in one weekend,” Shulz said.

On the other hand, Shulz said, sometimes bargains can be found for people who wait. He said students don’t necessarily need every item on their list on the first day of school.

“If you’re willing to wait a little bit, you can end up saving a little bit too, because prices may fall a little bit once school starts. It’s the same idea as buying a Christmas tree on the day or two after Christmas. That stuff gets priced to move and you may end up being able to find yourself some savings.”

Another tip, take a look in your closet to find supplies you might already have or items that can be reused.

“It’s important to check around your house and make sure that you don’t have brand new stuff that just went unused and forgotten during the last school year, that can save you some real money. But also just realizing that you don’t necessarily always need new. That lunch box may be perfectly fine. Those shoes may be perfectly fine. That backpack may be perfectly fine.”

Another idea is buying in bulk whenever possible.

“Being able to kind of tag team this with other parents or relatives or friends can make a difference. Because if you can make a big Costco or Sam’s Club run and buy a bunch of stuff in bulk at a lower price and then share it all amongst you, that can be a really good deal.”

Shulz said people who look for bargains can find them, especially if they are willing to consider discount stores and other places they may not have shopped before. “A lot of us can kind of be creatures of habit, going to the same stores and same places and buying the same things. But the old advice of shopping around really does make a difference. Your ability to kind of comparison shop on everything from clothes to backpacks to computers can really make a difference and save you some money,” he said.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

link