Ten tips for saving money during the back-to-school season

Back to school time is upon us once again. A few years ago the school district here decided that school would not start before August 25th so every year since then they have started on the 25th, even if it is a Friday. I really hate that for 2 reasons:1) why start school on Friday?? It is crazy!! & 2) my poor son's birthday is no other than August 25th - Happy Birthday to him!
We all know how crazy it can be getting ready for back to school. With all the supplies you have to get, the costs can sky-rocket. So I decided to team up with other Twitter Moms and share some tips for saving money during the back to school season.

1) If your state offers the no-tax weekend, make sure you save up and take advantage of it. This is the perfect opportunity to buy those expensive items.

2) Shop at stores that offer rebates and other special offers such as Staples.

3) Check all of the weekly ads. You can find some really great deals if you look for them and take advantage of them weekly.

4) When you find a really great deal, use the whole family. Most of the time there will be a limit to how many items one person can get, so give the kids some money and let them buy the limit as well.

5) If you can get a good deal, and can get extras, do it and put the extra stuff up for next year. I have a cabinet that we store school supplies in and I cannot tell you how many folders and pencil erasers we have, but we will not need to buy any for a really long time.

6) Use coupons! This is a BIG change that I have made over the last year. If you can combine a sale with a coupon, there will be lots of things that you can get almost free ~~~~ and who doesn't love free stuff?

7) Do you shop at the outlet stores? Sometimes it is worth taking a day trip to the outlet store mall and hunt for the deals there.

8) Some things are worth getting in bulk because you will use more of them. In these cases, it wouldn't hurt to shop at places like Sam's. Sam's is good for after school snacks or lunch snack items.

9) Some communities offer back to school events where they give away school supplies. There is a church near our home that does this every year and we take advantage of it. They send an invitation to everyone in the area and have games, inflatables, food, and of course school supplies for the kids.

10) A friend of mine came up with a really neat idea this year. She is hosting a clothing exchange party. On the invitations, she told the mothers to get all the clothes that were too small and bring to exchange for some clothes that would fit. This is great if you have children of all ages and sizes show up!

So what are some of the ways you too save money? Please share your ideas as well. In fact, if you are a blogger you can do a post like this one and possibly get a $50.00 gift card for Staples. You can find all the information here.

About Staples:

Staples, the world's largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.


Staples makes going back-to-school easy for 2010:

Staples provides significant savings, a wide selection of quality products, and a one-stop shop and stress-free shopping experience.

Staples is in-stock throughout the entire season and into the start of the school year.

Staples kicks off the back-to-school season to provide customers with an official start date for back-to-school shopping and a clear roadmap for value throughout the season.

Staples is the expert on back-to-school, with more than 20 years experience.

Staples offers more ways to save from hot buys like penny and dollar deals to savings on technology to reduced low prices on hundreds of core items.


More info: http://www.staples.com

Join Staples on Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/staples

Follow Staples on Twitter: http://twitter.com/staplestweets



Disclaimer: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here."