Tips on Shopping for School Supplies

Thus we come to one of my favorite pastimes of the summer: back to school shopping. My friends consider me to be obsessed with school supplies and I don’t disagree with them. There are certain things to keep in mind when shopping for school supplies, as ridiculous as it sounds. There are some tips that I’ve picked up over the years and have now decided to share them with you.

If you aren’t in the mood to watch the video, there is a condensed version of what I said below.

The Five Tips to Shopping for School Supplies 

1. Don’t be afraid to start early.
Of course there is such a thing as starting too early, but generally speaking the earlier you start the more time you have to shop around. Believe it or not, there may be a few deals in the beginning of June at stores–perhaps. Of course, as I post this it’s too late to shop in June but it’s something to keep in mind for years to come. You may not be able to buy very much, but there will still be some savings.

2. You shouldn’t be buying everything all at once.
Whenever you buy everything you need in a single trip, yes you may save a bit of gas money but trust me–you need to shop around for the best prices. The sense of urgency that you feel while in a store filled with school supplies is a really temptation in disguise; with the right amount of planning you will definitely be able to purchase all of the necessities within time. Seriously, that panicked feeling only inspires you to purchase expensive supplies that you may not even need.

3. Use coupons whenever possible.
This is, unfortunately, a tip that I sometimes forget over the years. Also, if you happen to see coupons in the online weekly ads, make sure to print them out. Trust me, this is necessary because you never know what might happen. It was definitely an incident last year when I had planned to use a coupon at Staples, but figured that they would be provided in the store–they weren’t. There are many different sources, so be sure to check them out.

4. Check the weekly ads of the stores in advance.
Coupons can typically go hand in hand with this tip simply because when you have the coupons, you may be able to double book and get even better deals on already great discounts. There are quite a few stores that release sneak peeks of the following week’s deals the Friday before. Scourge these the day they are released to plan out what stores you need to visit the week before. On the other hand, some stores only release them the day that the sales start. In that case, look them up early in the morning and go from there.

5. Only buy what’s absolutely necessary.
When you’re in college, you must save money in whatever forms you can. Even if you are a high school student with no real debt, it’s important learn a little bit of discipline. Believe me, it’s difficult for me to walk away from school supplies because it’s an activity I enjoy but it’s a necessary step. There is no point in buying something that you don’t need–much less that you already have.

The Bonus Tips

* Clearance sales are your best friend.
You know how at the end of every seasonal sale, there’s this massive clearance rack of the items left unsold? Back to school season is no different. If you know that there’s a supply on your list that can be put off during the first few weeks of school, then by all means wait to purchase it later. The deals during this time may even be better than the ones before school starts. Of course there is a downside to this: generally speaking there isn’t a lot of variety when it comes to designs/brands/etc, but there’s something to say about avoid the crowds of mothers shopping with their children.

* Buy cheap, but always keep quality in mind.
It’s very important that the more money that can be saved, the better. That being said however, you should never forfeit quality for quantity. Some of my friends consider me an office supply snob, particularly when it comes to pens, but there’s a reason for that and it’s the reason that I don’t buy supplies at 99¢ stores–at least not usually. There are a few things that someone can purchase at those stores so long as they’re things where quality isn’t a key issue: supplies like index cards, rulers, and a pair of scissors. Not only do poor quality supplies tend to not last very much, but typically they don’t make a good impression on you personally. If you’re using supplies that you’re not too sure about, then believe me–you will hesitate in using them.

* Have a list of what you need to buy.
Every year, before I go back to school shopping, I open up my checklist on my computer and make a few alterations to fit my needs for the upcoming school year. Then I print it and slowly check off the items as I buy them. It’s a pretty good system, if I may say so myself particularly because whenever you don’t have an idea of what it is that you need to buy, you buy what you really don’t need. Here’s my way of helping you out:

Check out my wonderful gift to all of you–a School Supplies Checklist!

Use that list to your advantage, as I have been doing in my trek to purchasing everything that I’ll need. I made it as comprehensive as I could, so there are definitely some things on there that I personally will not be using in my first year at college, but for those of you who may still need them they’re there for reference. Anything that you do not need, you may simply cross out and if there’s something I missed, feel free to add it in one of the blanks provided! That’s why they’re there for.

On that note, I leave. Hopefully this post helped in some way or another–I definitely put a lot of thought into it and would appreciate some comments and feedback.