by: LIZ KIDDER, THE PARENTING PATH
Back-to-school is coming faster than ever for Winston-Salem Forsyth County School families! Students will be heading home from the beach and pool a little earlier than in previous years which means that back-to-school shopping will happen earlier, too!
According to the National Retail Federation, the average family with children in grades K-12 will spend a staggering $890 on back-to-school shopping! That’s one expensive price tag for the start of school!
So, how can you save money for the costs that will be coming up very early in August this year? Here’s some of the things we do in our family:
Reduce, reuse, recycle – I’m an environmentalist at heart but a busy mom in reality. Sometimes it’s just easier to hit “Buy Now” on Amazon, right? We keep a school supplies bin in our house and, at the end of the school year, after a few days of recovery of course, we empty the backpacks together. What can be saved, what can be recycled and what truly does need to get thrown out? The plastic ruler? Keep that for next year. The old crayons? Yup, they can go. The notebook the teacher insisted we buy but has only 10 pages used? Rip the used ones out, and it’s fine for next year. And, that old TI calculator from Big Brother? Let’s keep that for a few years down the road. But, put it in a baggie with the charging cord! We learned that lesson!
Wait for the real list from the teachers. I know the school system dutifully has supplies lists posted on the website but, in reality, it’s a guess. Only after Open House at the school will you really know what your child needs. I have one child that’s a procrastinator that prefers to not even mention the word “school” and one child that’s a planner who wants to shop in July as soon as that Target display shows up. Let the procrastinator win this one – you buy less when you know exactly what you need.
We also wait to buy clothing for back-to-school. I know it sounds so mean, doesn’t it? But, here’s the deal – all those back-to-school ads show kids in jeans and hoodies. Kids in Forsyth County are going back to school in August, in NORTH CAROLINA. They’ll die of heatstroke or take off half their outfit by the afternoon. So, we wear summer clothes for just a little longer and shop in October – and no one has died of embarrassment yet, I swear.
If you have a child that will be attending a school in WSFCS that requires the dreaded SMOD uniform, 1) it really isn’t that bad I promise, and 2) find out if your school has a hand-me-down sale! It’s all uniform-compliant clothing, and it’s a great price! (And, funds raised from the sale usually go right back into the school!)
Choose later-in-the-year gifting instead of new-school-year-overwhelming! Tissues, sanitizer and paper towels are always on the school supply list and rightly so. Having spent a fair amount of time in a classroom, that stuff is always needed, but not necessarily right away. I send in paper goods to the classroom later in the year. It helps keep that initial budget hit down a little and doesn’t overwhelm teachers trying to find space to store it all. I tend to send those items in when my kids need it – chances are there are several kids with the same sniffles, so that’s when they need those extra boxes of tissues!
Reach out to other parent friends to coordinate buying in bulk. Now, this one is easier for those extroverted parents, but we all know the deals are better if you buy in bulk. Grab a cup of coffee together, compare lists and then shop together. It saves money and can be more fun to do this tiresome chore with someone else!
Be thrifty! If your kids are similar in age to mine, you are also at the “label stage” where the names on the labels matter. Yes, the name brand tends to last longer, but at the rate my kids grow, I’m not always sure it’s worth it. Treasure hunt at the local thrift store or vintage shop! Give your child a budget before heading out – they can buy one outfit at the mall or they can likely find several outfits with a little bit of effort at the thrift stores. It’s a great economics lesson especially for those teens! We’d love to see you at Pinwheels, our amazing Thrift Store at 631 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. You can put together an entire outfit for less than $10 – and we have seen parents find a week’s worth of clothing for less than $100!
Lastly, congratulate yourself! You likely just gave your kids an amazing summer and are already planning for the next school year! You deserve an ice cream while you’re out – it’s hot, and look how much money you saved!
Happy New School Year everyone!
