How To Survive Back to School Shopping Without Losing Your Sanity
For better or for worse, summer is almost over. That means it soon will be time for kids to go back to school. Endless school supply lists and long lines at different stores are enough to make you cranky. Add in bored kids and it can be a recipe for total mayhem or those pesky meltdowns nobody wants to deal with in the summer heat.
So what’s a busy mom to do? I mainly shop online to save time (and money thanks to discount codes) but I also plan as much as possible. As a working mom, every minute counts, so if I don’t organize myself, it means I would be shopping at the 24-hour pharmacy the night before school starts. Not the worst thing that can happen, but trust me, it’s too stressful. Been there, done that.
Here’s how I cope with back to school craziness without losing my sanity:
7 Back To School Shopping Tips
1. Print out your school’s supply list. Make a copy and have it in your bag so you can shop for items you see on sale when you’re at the supermarket, warehouse store or office supply retailer.
2. Make an inventory of what you already have and put in a clear bag labeled with your child’s name. Cross off the items from your list.
3. To save money, clip coupons for the items you need to buy. Some retailers accept printed coupons as well. Also monitor sales and specials at supermarkets and pharmacies. Sometimes they have great buy one get one free promotions that save you a lot of money when you have more than one child. Subscribe to email newsletters, too, so you know when sales are going on and get special coupon codes.
4. Don’t wait until the last minute. Stores sometimes run out of in demand items such as specific types of notebooks or graph paper the closer you get to the first day of school.
5. Get your child excited about the new school year by making him or her part of the shopping process. Let your kid pick her or his backpack, notebooks or pencil cases.
6. If time is at a premium, try online shopping. Always search for promotional codes or discounts before checking out, not only using a search engine but on Twitter and the brand’s official Facebook page. Prefer sites that offer free shipping or a flat-fee shipping rate. Also check the return policy; some stores offer easy returns and pre-printed shipping labels. Others are not so return-friendly.
7. Some schools require uniforms. Make sure regulations haven’t changed from last year. To save money, sometimes you can buy plain polo shirts at a mass retailer and then have them embroidered with your school’s logo. However, there are schools that are very strict about who provides their uniforms; if that’s your case, also try to shop early to get your child’s size.
7 online stores that have back to school promotions
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Office Depot
There are many online codes to get additional discounts and with a minimum $50 order, you get free shipping. They have divided school supplies by grades so it's easier to shop.
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Lands' End
This is a great choice for back to school clothes since it offers uniforms for schools across the country. Make sure to find out if there are any promo codes before completing your checkout. There-s a dedicated uniform section and it's easy to find the code for your specific school. If you subscribe to their newsletter, you will get coupon codes as well.
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Target
Aside from having special back to school promotions, Target offers printable coupons for extra savings.
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The Children's Place
Currently uniforms are 25% off and you can get free shipping with a minimum $75 order. Search online for promotional codes (at sites such as RetailMeNot) to get even more discounts or subscribe to their newsletter. Click here to access their uniform section.
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Old Navy
A great resource for uniform bottoms and children's clothes without breaking the bank. To get free shipping usually you need a $50 minimum purchase. There's a uniform sale going until 8/15.
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Staples
Currently you can get free shipping with a $45 minimum order. Check out their other back to school deals here.
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L.L. Bean
This store not only offers free shipping with no minimum order, but it also has a great return policy.
Tell me in the comments: How do you keep your sanity during back to school shopping season? Please share your tips!
Read Jeannette´s blog in Spanish and find more of her writing on Todobebé. You can also watch her on the Viva la Familia TV show on Univision.
And reach out to her on Twitter and Facebook. She loves it!
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[...] where school isn´t in session until after Labor Day, Jeannette Kaplun´s column on Babble.com, Mamifesto, gives great tips to shop for supplies without losing your sanity. The most helpful tip to me: [...]
Good post and straight to the point.