Back to School Shopping: Start Early for the Best Deals

It’s late July, and the back-to-school season is looming over every parent’s head. Many of us plan ahead for expensive holidays, but when the school year starts we’re always caught off guard.

Each stage picks our pockets a little more: registration, athletic and lab fees, gym clothes, gym shoes, backpacks, school supplies, clothes and accessories. My debit card cringes at the mere suggestion that school starts next month, and my little guys are only in preschool.

Last year, I waited until I received my son‘s supply list at registration before I started shopping. When it comes to school supplies, it’s wise to wait to see what the specific items requested are (our school system even tells us what brands to buy for most items). If you buy too many things ahead, you may end up stuck buying more than you need. That doesn’t mean that you have to wait for one giant, money-munching trip to buy everything. There are many necessities that can be purchased ahead of time to soften the blow to your wallet.

Buying these things ahead of time can make back-to-school shopping a little less horrific:

Rain Gear: Walks to school and waiting at bus stops really stink when your little puddle-jumper doesn’t have the basics. Check online and in stores for raincoats, galoshes, and umbrellas. Because spring is over, you might come across some really sweet deals.

Undergarments: If your children are young, the school will often ask for a set of “just-in-case” clothes including socks and underwear. Extra Underoos are never a bad idea, in general.

Warm Weather Clothing: Your child won’t be wearing as much summer stuff as she will cold weather duds, so don’t spend a load on warm weather gear, but a few new short-sleeved shirts and shorts are always nice.

Cold Weather Clothing: While she won’t immediately need it, she’s going to spend more time in long-sleeved shirts and pants. Keep an eye out for good deals on this stuff now, because you might be packing away the tees by the end of September.

Hoodies, Jackets and Coats: Even if you’ve already got some, extras are always come in handy. Children have an innate ability to lose things, and if you’re in an area where weather can change in an instant, you never know when you’re going to need the spare. If you’ve got a family of five like I do, the laundry is always going, and you may not have the time to wait for a full wash and dry before heading out for piano lessons or volleyball practice.

Shoes: Dress shoes, school shoes, gym shoes… shoes, shoes, shoes. It’s no secret, kids feet grow quickly, and staying ahead of the game is just plain smart.

Backpacks and Lunch Boxes: Again, this is an area where extras are your friend. Kids are rough on these items, buy one ahead of time and then keep an eye out for spares when they go on sale after the school year begins.

Gym Clothes: If you’ve got a child going into middle school, the age of gym clothes is upon you. The good news is, unless your school system uses uniforms, you can take advantage of summer clearances for gym clothes. Basic or print tees and shorts are being marked down to make room for cold weather sports wear.

Don’t let the back-to-school expense catch you by surprise. Start buying what you can now to save cash and spread the cost out over several paychecks. While you’re looking, check out back to school shopping deals at Smarter.