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Challenge: Back to School

Top 10 Back to School Savings Hacks for School Supplies

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Are you ready to Save Money on School Supplies??? We have some of the best Back to School Savings Hacks to help you Save Big this year! Here are 10 of the BEST Ways to Save on School Supplies for Back to School!

1. Shop with a List – Combine all your kids lists into one master list, that way you don't forget anything. Then make sure you check your closets or your kids items they brought home at the end of the year and cross off anything you already have that you can use again.

school supply deals 2

2. Shop the Loss Leaders – Each week the Big Office Supply Stores and National Retailers like Target and Kmart offer School Supply Loss Leaders. These are the Penny Items, 10¢ Items and Free after Rebate Items that help drive traffic to the stores. Try hitting up each of the Office Supply Stores each week and only buying these loss leaders. Often they require you to have a $5 Minimum Purchase so I buy the Minimum amount of items that are on sale and I already need, then pick up the loss leaders each week. Over the 4-6 weeks of Back to School Shopping you will be amazed at how much you pick up for just a few pennies.

3. Learn to Get Stuff for FREE – Each Office Supply Store has a Rewards Program & Office Supply Stores often offer Free after Rebate or Free after Rewards Items. By understanding how each of these programs works you can pick up Name Brand School Supplies like Pens, Paper, Highlighters, Sharpies & More for just a few pennies after rewards.

4. Split Multi-Pack Items Between Kids – Depending on the ages of your kids and your school district and teachers you may be able to buy a Multi-Pack of Items and split it between your kids. Some great examples would be Glue Sticks, Pencils, Scissors and more that are often on sale for less when you buy in bulk!

5. Watch for Coupons – I know, I know, you saw that one coming didn’t you :) There are So Many great coupons on school supplies this time of year. Typically we see coupons for things like Pens, Binders, Notebooks and more so start watching the Printable Coupons Page to see all the latest coupons for back to school snacks and school supplies.

6. Price Match at Walmart or Target – If you don’t want to spend the time to drive to multiple stores don’t forget to Price Match, this is one of the best times of the year to price match at Walmart you can pick up School Supplies while you’re doing your normal grocery shopping at the lowest prices in your area without driving around town. Items that are often available to Price Match include Name Brand Items like Sharpie, Crayola, Bic Pens & Elmer’s Glue. Remember, Walmart doesn’t price match store brands and the sizes and quantities have to be an exact match so keep your eyes open for those items & save yourself an extra trip!

stock up glue sticks

7. Buy Double the Limits – Anytime you find a name brand item on sale you can buy the limit at the store where it’s on sale then Price Match at Walmart or another Office Supply Store to get Double or Triple the limits! This is especially helpful if you have a lot of kids or you’re trying to stock a classroom or school supply donation bin.

name brand crayola

8. Shop the Drugstores & Surplus Stores – Many areas have Surplus or Discount Supply Stores, these are great places to find everyday items like Crayola Crayons, Notebook Paper, Binders, Rulers and more. Each year I am surprised at the number of retailers offering School Supplies and Back to School Deals so don’t forget to check the prices at the stores you frequent you might be surprised to find a few items on sale. I think it is important to use a tool like the Back to School Price List to help you compare prices so that you know when to purchase these items.

I noticed items like Disinfecting Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Paper Towels and more are all available at The Dollar Tree! This would be a great way to pick up the classroom supplies you need for less!

Rewards Coupons

9. Use Competitor Coupons – Most office supply stores will take competitor coupons so if you find a Staples Coupon in the weekly ad or online you can use this not only at staples but also at competitor stores like Office Depot. This is such a great strategy for Back to School because it allows you to pick up the lowest price items and stack the additional savings from competitor coupons, this is also a great way to lower your out of pocket costs on rewards items.

Apps for Back to School

10. – Download Apps – There are some FREE Apps that can save you a lot of money including on School Supplies! CVS Offers a FREE $3 ECB when you download the CVS App, use that Free money to get School Supplies for FREE!

Some of my other favorite Rebate Apps include Ibotta, Checkout51, Snap and MobiSave. I expect to see some great rebates from all of these companies as we get closer to Back to School!

Be sure to leave a comment and share your best back to school shopping tips!

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