How to School Shop on a Budget

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

List of School Supplies
List of Clothing Needs
Internet Connection (opt)
Telephone (opt)
Means of payment (CC, Cash, Check Card, etc)

Step 1

$1 knit top, $6 shorts w/belt, $5 shoe (WalMart/Dillards/Target)

First, you will want to establish your school shopping needs. Make a list of clothing needs and also check with the school to determine the school supply needs. Writing down the clothing needs will help you mentally prepare and navigate through your shopping experience with less stress.
Step 2

research rewards and incentives

Next, determine your payment options and explore each one for opportunities! If you have department store cards, check your latest statement for shopping discounts and be mindful of the benefit of using those cards in their respective stores as many back to school specials offer percentage or dollars off incentives for using the store credit card. Make sure you include those expenditures in your budget tally and don't count them as money you didn't have! For example, Sears Card included a back to school 20% off all clothing and shoe purchases when using the card during the month of August...including clearance! Check your universal credit cards as well. Discover card is offering 5% bonus reward for every gas purchase through September. However, Washington Mutual offers a percentage of your purchases as a cash back reward from certain clothing stores like Old Navy and Banana Republic. For further instance, many banking institutions offer specific rewards when using your check card instead of cash. On the same paper as your clothing needs list, jot down the offers for each payment method for easy referencing during shopping. You may choose to also write down the corresponding budget available for each payment option.
Step 3

$1 tee, $6 shorts w/belt (WalMart/Dillards)

Now, you've completed your homework regarding payment methods. You'll now want to explore your shopping destination options. You may already have a few places in mind based on the offers you discovered through your rewards programs from credit cards and your bank. In addition to those stores, what other deals have you noticed in the paper, online or through other advertisement circulars and commercials? Take notice of which stores are offering which deals. Most stores make money by luring you in on a specific deal and banking on your other purchases from them. However, you can stretch your shopping budget by only purchasing the "deal" item from the store and shopping elsewhere for your other needs. So, return to your list and add stores to check out and note the special they are running. The list can be as simple as you want...example (Sears: extra 20%, Target: school supply sale, JCP: jeans).
Step 4

$5 Esprit blouse set, $15 jeans (Ross)

Be smart when mapping out your shopping excursion. With fuel costs as they are, plan your shopping with minimum zig zagging back and forth across town. After fuel consideration, shop at the stores where you think you will get the most accomplished first. That way, by the time you check all the items off your list, you may be able to skip some stores altogether.
Step 5

$3 HM shirt, $7 Khaki (Dillards/Limited Too)

Okay, your notes should now include a list of needs, a list of payment methods with corresponding budget available for each and any incentives each is offering and a list of stores in order of importance. Now you are on your way. Shop the clearance rack first, not last. This way, if you find a great pair of jeans or a top, you can check those off the list rather than finding them afterwards and falling in to what the store hopes you will do and just adding them to your purchases as bonus clothes. Look out for ways to optimize your shopping. Clothes for younger ages will often come with accessories. If your little girl's new jeans came with a great belt, then check belt off the list rather than buying another one. Use strategy with your children. If they really have their heart set on an outfit that is not in the budget, compromise by having them choose the next outfit from sale or clearance racks. Also, when shopping with younger children, consider their patience and their capacity to make choices. Give them a few options to choose from that are within your budget, rather than opening their mind to the entire store and then wearing them out with "no"s when they choose things you are not willing to buy.
Step 6

school supplies

When shopping for school supplies, you'll typically shop at one to two stores for all your needs. Most schools today provide a list of items to shop for and drop off with the teachers during orientation or the first day of school. These items are then distributed to the class as a whole. If you are on a tight budget consider speaking with the teacher and arranging to bring the items in a week or two after school starts. The teacher will have sufficient supplies to get the year started based on what all the other students have supplied. Then, go out and fulfill the supply list when all the school supplies are clearanced out and save BIG! You will typically save 50-75% off by waiting just a week or so to do this shopping and your child's teachers' are typically more than cooperative and understanding. These school shopping steps should help stretch your budget further than you anticipated for just a little research before you get started. Happy shopping!