With inflation still taking a bite out of Americans’ budgets, here’s another big expense: back-to-school shopping.

Most Americans plan on spending $875 to send on their kiddos’ clothes and school supplies, according to the National Retail Federation. But you can trim that bill with a little planning.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Tips to save on school supplies, clothing, and extracurricular activities.
• Deals, discounts, and second-hand options.
• Advice on setting up a budget for school-related expenses.

Saving tips

Search for coupons, use cashback from credit cards, and keep your eyes peeled for student discounts. Way back when, you only needed electronics for older kids. Now, elementary school students use tablets and laptops.

Your kid’s school or your company may be enrolled in a student discount program. It’s worth checking. There may be a significant discount on electronics or other school supplies.

If you find a deal on less expensive items like pens, highlighters, and paper, do yourself a favor – buy in bulk. Those are the kind of supplies you’ll need to replenish as the year goes by. No need to pay full price later.

Deals, discounts, and second-hand options

Be proactive. There may be unique items little Johnny or Suzy need this year, but many are repeat items. You know they’ll need a backpack, folders, and pencils – check stores now.

Bix box stores tend to promote big deals during the summer, discounting up to 70% off items like binders, pens, backpacks, and more. You don’t even have to leave the house anymore to find out. Check websites for retail stores like Walmart, Target, and Staples.

Heck, there’s even a site called discountschoolsupplies.com. It promises “always low prices,” “always 110% guaranteed.”  

Bigger items may make more sense to plan around your state’s tax-free weekend. You can also reuse items like backpacks and binders from older siblings, cousins, and neighbors. Your future scholar may have new clothes or sneakers in mind. But a hand-me-down backpack may not bother them.

Budgeting advice

Like the winter holidays, back-to-school shopping happens at the same time every year. You can work your shopping budget into your overall yearly budget. Use a budgeting app or spreadsheet to track items from previous years.

Keeping spending records helps you set aside a roundabout budget. It also helps with inventory. While reviewing a previous budget, you may realize the items you already own. There’s no reason to purchase more.

And, yes, spending tends to increase year-over-year. But this year, NRF research shows back-to-school spending is lower this year than last. So be generous in your budget but realize there is little wiggle room.

The amount you set aside doesn’t need to be exact to the dollars and cents. Just close enough that you don’t need to charge up more on your credit card.