Happy 4th of July, Pocketeers! (Pocketeers is my new term of endearment for the wonderful, loyal readers of Pocket Your Dollars; it was coined by one of my pastors) For many of us this holiday weekend marks a mid-way point to our summer. It isn’t because we’re exactly halfway from school’s end and school’s start, but because it’s the second of our three summer holidays. It reminds me that summer won’t last forever. Plus, it’s my older brother’s birthday and he turned the big 4-0 this year.
Back-to-School Season Has Started
Before you put down that last slice of watermelon from your picnic, I want to let you know that it’s time to think about back-to-school shopping. Yep, the 4th of July kicks off the back-to-school season (collective groan…). You need to pay attention to school supply sales and deals in the next few weeks because prices ratchet up after that and things will be nearly full-priced by the time we hit Labor Day.
If you don’t believe me, Target just loaded their website with their first batch of school supply-related coupons. Walgreens has a variety of school supplies on sale for $0.19, noting them as the “lowest prices of the season.”
Here’s what you need to do right now to get the best deals on everything you need for back-to-school:
— Make a list of the school supplies your kids will need next year. If you don’t have lists on hand, then call the school or school district and request one for the grade they’ll be entering.
Of course doing this implies that you won’t deny the reality that back-to-school shopping is at hand. I know you are enjoying summer, but really, believe me that it is better for your pocket book to buy early than to blindly sail through July and wait until late August.
— Make a list of the clothes your kids will need, including types of clothes and sizes. As we see tons of things go on clearance in the next few weeks (see section below about Christmas shopping) you may have to make quick decisions about whether you are going to buy something or not. The best way to do this and have it be truly helpful is to have a cheat sheet of what you need for each kid. Be sure that your list includes shoes, boots and other winter garb and anything else you know you’ll need to buy for them in the next 6-12 months (depending on their age and how easily you can predict their sizes for each season).
— Establish a budget. I hope you’ve been setting some money aside each month or each paycheck to have on hand for back-to-school shopping. If you haven’t, then figure out how much cash (yes cash…c-a-s-h) you can set aside each paycheck between now and Labor Day so you avoid debt this year.
— Commit to your budget. Once you figure out how much or how little you have to work with, then commit to stick to it. If it helps, leave a comment on this post sharing your budget goal and then keeping us informed on how you’re doing. We are all committed to helping one another stay or get debt-free and it starts by deciding not to incur new debt. (If you are reading this via email, then click on the article’s title to come back to the website and leave a comment).
We’ll do our part to share the best school supply deals we see in the weeks ahead. We will also keep you posted on some of the amazing clearance sales I expect we’ll see throughout July and into early August, which can hopefully help you with the back-to-school clothes shopping.
July is a Major Clearance Sale Month
July is also an important month for most major retailers as they look to move their spring and summer merchandise off the sales floor to make room not only for back-to-school stuff, but for their fall, winter and Christmas stuff. What that means for you and me is that July is typically a huge clearance month; of note, January is the other major clearance month when retailers are looking to move a lot of merchandise to get ready for the new season.
For example, last year (although this has happened year-after-year) Target started their clearance at 15% or 30% off, but by the end of the month toys, clothes and many other things were marked 75% off their retail price. I bought a number of toys at 75% off to give as gifts for some nieces and cousins.
This clearance won’t be limited to Target, but I expect we’ll see it everywhere from Kohl’s and JC Penney’s to Macy’s to Walmart to here, there and everywhere in between including online retailers.
To get the most of this clearance without overspending on stuff you don’t need, sit down and do this:
— Make a list of all the occasions for which you need to buy gifts in the next 12 months (or 6 months if you don’t have space to store gifts you buy ahead). Include birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and other holidays, etc. I also keep a baby shower gift on hand if I can find something gender neutral at a great price.
— Make a list of any seasonal items you need. This list includes all the spring and summer toys, gardening items and other seasonal merchandise that your family really needs or wants.
— Establish a budget. Hopefully you’ve been setting aside a little bit each month for gifts and any items you are buying for your family, so look again at what you’ve got to spend and write it down. Commit to that budget. Period. (No self-talk that says, “yeah, but it’s such a good deal, it’s okay to go over-budget. Nope. None of that).
— Establish a discount that you’ll aim for. Personally, I aim to buy everything at 75% off or better. Since I’m not in a hurry, I mean my husband’s birthday is still three months away, I can wait for that kind of sale and am willing to make due with a lesser selection of items. That may not work for you, which is fine. Just decide in advance what you think is a good deal so you aren’t lured into overspending by items marked 15% off.
As you spot great clearance deals, please let us know whether by email, through the comments on an article/post or on Facebook.
Your turn: Are you ready to back-to-school shop? Do you need to commit to your budget publicly for your own accountability?
About Carrie Rocha
Carrie~Is it ok I did a double collective groan?!? Do you have a personal rock bottom price on the basic school supply items that you could share?. I have my grocery and household product spreadsheet but would love to enter the school needs too!
Thanks again for your unprecedented dedication!!
HI Eva..your a geneious…I never considered actually tracking “rock bottom”. Could you possible share your spread sheet?
Can I ask a possibly dumb question? My soon to be three year old will be starting one day a week preschool this year. Does she need any real supplies other than clothes and shoes? Sorry, we’re new to this whole “school” thing. Thanks for the advice!! :)
She will probably only need a BIG back pack – not a cutesy character one.
Little kids do BIG projects, and you will want to set her up for success by giving her the tools she needs to be independent.
PS – there are no dumb questions on PYD!
Thanks for the input… I’m sure she’d pick a Dora one if she had a choice. We’ll get a bigger one and hopefully get a couple years out of it. :)
The school will let you know what you need, just call them. They may want contributions of crayons, paper towels, wet wipes etc.
One year we ahd to label eveything, the ohter year we just had to provide the items and it was a huge ‘pool’ for them to work with.
I also use the rock bottom prices to stock our craft supplies at home like makers, crayons and paper. That way when they have left all the caps off by Dec, I still have markers LOL.
Yep, we stock up on the craft supplies for at home as well… Our marker tip: when a marker dries out, toss the marker & keep the cap. Put the spare cap into a clean empty plastic peanut butter jar. When the next marker cap goes missing, grab a spare one & pop it on :)
Great idea!!!
You may want to check with the school prior to purchasing tennis shoes or any other shoes as some preschools require only velcro. We learned this the hard way with our son! :)
That’s not a dumb question at all, SS! At my preschool, we require no supplies and a backpack is completely optional! The parents usually end up carrying out the projects, and many of them have a stroller with a baby and those projects just get added to all the other stuff in the stroller basket! As our budget has diminished, we teachers end up supplementing with supplies throughout the year. Before the winter break, we often put const. paper mittens or snowflakes all over our classroom door, and parents can take 1 or more if they want (completely optional and we don’t make a big deal of it). On each paper we write a needed supply. i.e. gluesticks, glitter, tissues, etc. It is such a great way for us to restock and many parents are happy to purchase something for us and allow their child to bring it in. We like our kids to wear good shoes for the gym/outdoors, but we make no requirements. We don’t always appreciate velcro because some kids sit at circle time and incessantly make that obnoxious noise of pulling the velcro strap off and on! So it’s interesting that some preschools would require it!
That would be awesome, I just don’t know how low somethings will go…
Thanks
Ahh, school supplies. Last year I was able to get many items for free or nearly free by carefully checking all ads each week. If I was going to be in the area of the “deals” I’d stop and get them. At the end of summer I was surprised at the amount of items I had for next to nothing. Walgreens was especially good to us each week with free pens or pencils (it is amazing how many they lose in a year) and cheap notebooks.
I also “pay” my children to recycle school supplies. We figure a budget for them after we compare the school list with our stash and if any $ is left over they can use it to buy one “extra special” school supply. It is amazing how much they recycle to get a special notebook or folder.
Last year I stocked up on crayons and glue when they were at rock bottom prices. Then when my kids birthday party rolled around in Dec (turning 2 & 4), I gave a box of crayons and a bottle of glue as part of their party favors. Those kids were so excited! Just as a thought.
I always buy way more than we need. They always seem to need more notebooks, folders, glue, pens & pencils then the list ever says. It’s also great to have these items on hand just to help keep you organized. Also when you have extra glue on hand kids can make their own “silly putty”
SS-When my son was in preschool I got him a smaller backpack, one that fit him well and was not to big for him to carry. We never buy the “cutesy” backpacks, we get the plain kind and expect them to get at least a couple of years if not more out of them. We still have my son’s small backpack, it works great when we go out hiking.
We get the plain ones, then use other things to “cutesy” them up
I’ve budgeted $200 for 3 kids(one is still in preschool tho). This will be for supplies and clothes. Anything left over will be put into our Trip Fund. That will help me with the spending part on the clothes (my bigger weakness!)
My kids are still under school age, but I always buy their clothes on sale this season, for next season. SEARS – currently has all of the clearance items marked to get an additional 40% off at check out. I bought my daughter 3 outfits for under $5 each. TARGET – also has things marked down. They have individual toddler pieces for around $2 each. I bought him 2 oufits for $4 each. I have even been to Babys R Us and they have spring clothes marked as low as 75% off. The prices might not be as low as other stores, but lower than full price.
I would also like to know what rock bottom prices are on school supplies my daughter will be entering 1st grade I am not really planning on buying clothes because of garage sales and hand me downs (anyone need girls clothes size 5?,email me kierstienafetzek At gmail dot com) so only scool supplies and gym shoes
found someone thanks!
My favorite sale to keep an eye out for is Staples. They always have folders, pens, pencils, etc. for a penny. Another great idea is to not forget your daycare provider. I am a provider and have 9-12 kids in my home every day. One of my parents gives me a little gift bag of back-to-schools supplies like crayons, markers and glue each year for National Daycare Provider Day (Friday before Mother’s Day). It is very inexpensive, but soooo appreciated.
I agree! I have been just WAITING for school supplies to go on sale, as my daycare kids have been coloring with worn out markers and broken crayon fragments for months now! I can’t wait for all this to go on sale!
Thanks for posting this – I did a Staples run this morning and spent 14 cents on 2 reams of paper (after rebate), 10 folders and 2 eight-packs of pencils. And I did the Staples easy rebate online – it was a breeze.
Is there a certain age when it becomes easier to judge kids clothing for the next year? My 15 month old is wearing some 24mos clothing. I figured she wouldn’t be in it til this fall. Luckily I didn’t spend much on the summer clothes she is outgrown.
Jen – It really depends on how fast your daughter is growing. For my kids, by 2 years of age they slow down on growing. Summer clothes are usually easier to buy b/c it’s ok if the shorts are a little short as long as they fit in the waste. You can always buy the next size up. I went to Target last night and they have shorts and shirts for as low as $1.50 each. If they are a little big now, they should fit her later. Hope that helps! :)
I always went a little bigger than just “the next size” because you can always use it later. I’ve had some things go wrong & have to wait more than 1 year but usu it’s ok. Dresses can be longer, tanks can be doubled up, etc.
Not to mention, every brand is different & some hand-me-down/garage sale things are more shrunk than others so the size on the tag is no longer the size of the garment.
My kids are now tweens & I still buy ahead a little bit. DD esp loves when I pull out some fabulous velvet skirt, etc. that she didn’t know she had waiting for her (and I picked up at 90% off 2 years ago). Keep with classics, rather than trends, and they can wait until needed.
When it comes to things like mittens & hats — you can never have too many. Buy them on clearance & you’re set for when they come home from school w/ one missing.
Backpacks — I met a woman a few years ago who always bought her kids good backpacks (Lands End or LL Bean type) with the condition that they had to keep it for 2-3 years so they’d better pick a design/color that they really liked. DD insisted on Hannah Montana a few years ago & then wasn’t pleased when she was over HM and still had to use that bag!
Over the years, we’ve bought the “good” ones at Target on sale/clearance and they just don’t last. We’ve finally gone to buying higher end brands (Columbia, etc) and having them last more than 1 year. Broken zippers, tears in the lining, plastic bindings breaking — not everything can be repaired. DD’s Columbia was bought this summer at the Alberville outlet for under $20 — about the same as Target but much thicker, etc.
Surprisingly, the “free” or “very cheap” after rebate backpacks that Menards puts out most years do last! We have a few for summer camps/camping trips (so they get kind of gross) but we’ve had them for several years and they are still usable.
We have found that The Children’s Place backpacks last and a very durable! My oldest two have had their backpacks for three years and are just now in need of new ones. We paid $10 for each backpack and used them for school as well as travel to grandparents.
Jansport backpacks have a lifetime guarantee and we’ve always had great luck with those. My son got a Swiss gear backpack last year, though, and then a couple of months into the school year, backpacks became very “uncool” for the 8th grade boys at the school. So there it sits – although he uses it when he goes on youth group retreats and camp.
My local food shelf loves donations of school supplies and backpacks!! Just something to think about when getting great deals!!
I usually donate extra supplies to my son’s classroom. This way if a child shows up missing supplies, the teacher is able to give them the necessary items. Anything left over, the teacher keeps on hand for during the school year. With many teachers spending hundreds of dollars for supplies, this is one way I can help lessen that burden and help a child be successful in school.
My daughter is starting K at a school that requires uniforms. Since we get most of her clothes from 2 friends as hand me downs, I rarely have to shop for her, but now I need to actually get uniform clothes. I have found some items at garage sales, and will probably hit thrift stores or Once Upon a Child, but haven’t yet. Does anyone have tips on how to get uniform clothing for cheap? I know Old Navy, Children’s Place, Lands End, etc, all carry them, but what’s the best deal? Thanks!
Carrie,
Will you be putting the back to school deals within each weekly shopping list – like at Target, Cub, CVS, etc, or will they be separate posts? Just want to make sure I know where to watch for them. First time sending a kid off to school – exciting!
to the post regarding the crayon bits for the daycare kids…fun project to do…have the kids fill an old muffin tin with broken crayon bits(wrapper removed) and melt in the oven…then it makes jumbo swirl crayons that are multicolored and easier to use. we always did that as kids and now i get to do it with my kids too :)
what is a good price on a realm of computer paper? that is on my daughters list for school supplies
Okay so this is my first year buying school supplies while being aware of my budget and coupons etc. Could you all help me with what is a good price for the things on our list?? here is what we need. I would like to get a handle on this NOW before its last minute (like i did last year)
2 Black Permanent Markers (fine tip)
1 1” 3-Ring Binder
20 #2 Lead Pencils –
2 boxes of 24 count Crayons
1 Children’s Scissors (Childsize –
pointed)
2 School Glue (8 oz. White)
6 Glue Sticks
4 Dry Erase White Board Markers
2 Black Permanent Markers
1 Set of Markers – Thick,
1 Washable (No more than 10)
(Classic Colors)
2 Folders with 3-Prong Fasteners
1 Highlighter
2 Pocket Folders (Plastic)
1 School Box – 8 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2
3 Spiral Notebooks (8 1⁄2 x 11”70
Page, Wide Rule)
1 Clipboard
1 Deck of Playing Cards
1 Primary Lined Hardcover
Composition Notebook
1 Container Disinfectant Wipes
1 Black Sharpie – Fine Point
1 Set of Headphones or Earbuds
1 Box of Facial Tissue
1 Ream of White Computer Paper
I just received a sneak peak email from staples for their ad starting July 11th-July 14h they have a few of your items for $.01. Folders with prongs,pack of 8 pencils for $.01, and a package of computer paper for $.01 after easy rebate.The price is $4.99-$4.98 easy rebate=$.01. I am not familiar with staples easy rebate so maybe someone else knows what that means.
This is what I found to be the lowest prices this week for some of the items you have on your list that I also had on mine. I bought them this week as I want to be done thinking about buying supplies.
2 Black Permanent Markers (fine tip) – 2 pk. Sharpies $1 at Walmart
1 1” 3-Ring Binder
20 #2 Lead Pencils – We don’t buy pencils I save all my freebie pencils from parades, carnivals, etc… and use those at the beginning of the school year.
2 boxes of 24 count Crayons – $.25 at Walmart
1 Children’s Scissors (Childsize – pointed) – .50 at Target for target brand or 1.50 at Walmart for Fiskars (I always buy fiskars they stay together)
2 School Glue (8 oz. White)
6 Glue Sticks – 2 pk. for $.25 at Walmart
4 Dry Erase White Board Markers
2 Black Permanent Markers
1 Set of Markers – Thick, Washable (No more than 10) (Classic Colors) – $1 at Walmart
2 Folders with 3-Prong Fasteners
1 Highlighter
2 Pocket Folders (Plastic)
1 School Box – 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 – $.50 at Target
3 Spiral Notebooks (8 1/2 x 11” 70 Page, Wide Rule) – $.15 at Target
1 Clipboard
1 Deck of Playing Cards – Bicycle playing cards has a coupon for $1/2 in 6/20 RP
1 Primary Lined Hardcover Composition Notebook
1 Container Disinfectant Wipes – $.99 at Menards for Spic n Span brand
1 Black Sharpie – Fine Point
1 Set of Headphones or Earbuds
1 Box of Facial Tissue – Kleenex 4 pk 110ct for $3.29 at Target use .50 off 3ct or more in 6/20 SS
1 Ream of White Computer Paper – can get free sometimes at office supplies stores or Walgreens has them for 1.99 this week.
Hope this helps!
This is a great time of year to stock up on supplies for Shoebox Gifts for Operation Christmas Child. Crayons, colored pencils (and a sharpener) composition books and markers are great items to include. Also, I’ve seen jump ropes for $1 and other small summer toys on clearance for next to nothing at several stores lately.
where is everyone finding target toys 75% off? I have looked at Burnsville/Lakeville and still 50 or 30 % for toys found shoes and some clothes 75% but nothing else…let me know please!
Kierstien – Some of the sales might start tomorrow. Last year they started on the last Thursday in July.