School Shopping

This article on the news today caught my attention--school supplies could cost as much as a mortgage payment.  Wow!  Apparently school supplies for elementary school students cost $662, for middle school students the cost is $1001, and for high school students the cost is $1489.  For one year of stuff!  When I was in school, supplies consisted of paper, some pencils, and 10 cent folders.  We got one pair of shoes and most of our clothes were hand-me-downs.

I have no idea how parents afford this must-have stuff as well as day care for kids.  And have you seen the price of diapers and formula lately?  No wonder people are having fewer kids--they simply can't afford them!

The places I have seen the most parents and kids shopping for school stuff over the past couple weeks include the Goodwill, Target/Walmart/Office Depot for sale school supplies, as well as the Dollar Tree and 99 cent store for supplies.

Fortunately the internet can be really helpful for parents looking to save money when buying all of the stuff their kids need for school.  Here's some great resources:

• The cheapest place to buy school supplies.
• The best online places to buy school supplies.
• And here are 17 places to buy cheap school supplies.

It's Back to School Time Already!

I was at the store today and there were kids everywhere!  I asked one mom and she said that school here resumes August 13th which seems super early to me but we haven't had kids in school for ages so maybe that is the usual time for kids to go back to school now?  When I was in school we didn't start the school year until mid September!  Anyway, here are some money-saving tips for back to school:

• Shop the sales.  Walmart and every office supply store in town currently has super cheap school supplies so now is a great time to stock up (buy enough for the whole school year then hold half back until after winter break when the kids will need/appreciate a bunch of new school supplies).
• Check out your school district's website.  It has info on everything from registration to school supply lists to bus routes to program options, etc.
• Shop for school clothes/shoes starting with the Goodwill then Ross/TJ Maxx/Walmart then hit the higher end mall stores.  Hopefully by the time you get to the expensive stores most of their needs will have been met at the cheaper stores!
• Determine how you will do lunch.  If you qualify, you can sign your kids up for free/reduced lunches.  Packing lunch from home seems like a healthier but more expensive/more work option.
• Determine how your kids will get to school.  I am mystified that many parents drive their kids to school these days.  When we were kids--even when our kids were kids--the options for getting to school were walk, ride a bike or ride the school bus--parent's simply did not drive their kids to school ever.  Maybe consider car pooling to save money if several kids in the neighborhood need to be driven to school?
• Determine what you will do for before and after school care.  Our school district has a before and after school care program which seems like an interesting option (and possibly cheaper than daycare/babysitters).
• For parents who need help, see if your school district has back to school fairs planned where they offer free school supplies, free immunizations, even free haircuts for the kids.

25 College Tips

Today is the first day of school for many students so while I was pondering this fact, I thought about all of the things I should have done differently back when I was in college in order to save money.  Here's some tips:

1. Do really well in high school (this will allow you to...)
2. Apply for all of the scholarships you possibly can (better to get free money for college than a massive amount of loans which you will need to pay back)
3. CLEP or challenge any classes that you can (a cheap way to get college credit)
4. Go to community college for your first couple of years unless you get a full-ride scholarship (this alone will save you a massive amount of money on school)
5. Keep your living expenses as cheap as humanly possible (live free with family, trade living in your aunt's attic for work around the house, etc)
6. If at all possible, ride a bike or take public transportation instead of getting a car (this will also save you a massive amount of money)
7. Don't live in the dorm or get the school's food plan is you can live and eat cheaper somewhere else (rules vary on this by college)
8. Try to find a job during school that either: provides lots of free time so you can study or provides a free meals which will save you lots of money on food
9. You may also want to find a job doing something that ties in with your degree (so you will hit the ground running with both a degree and work experience and hopefully some contacts in your industry)
10. Hang out with frugal friends (if you are poor and hang out with wealthy friends you will either go into debt or always feel like the odd man out)
11. DON'T use credit cards in college even though promoters will be trying to get you to sign up for a new card every other day
12. Buy textbooks as cheaply as possible (from others who have taken the course, online, or from textbook resellers; the school bookstore is usually the most expensive place to buy textbooks.  Renting textbooks is also a good idea because once you are done with them, you will never read them again)
13. Open your own free bank account at a credit union instead of using your parent's credit cards (this will teach you money management skills, give you a leg up on your credit score, and after a couple of years of responsible money management will allow you to get a free or low fee/low interest credit card if you like)
14. Don't get into contracts if at all possible and NEVER co-sign for anyone else (get a prepaid cell phone instead of a contract cell phone, rent month to month or live with family instead of getting on a one-year lease with friends, don't get into credit card debt, etc)
15. Don't get behind in your classes and the corollary, if you need help ask as soon as possible (dropping classes is expensive and getting way behind makes you want to drop classes)
16. Set yourself up for success: stay organized, join study groups, trade tutoring, do more than is required, garner goodwill from your professors who can help you excel in the future (with letters of reference, info of TA jobs, etc)
17. Don't do stupid stuff (anything that will get you arrested, overdosed, infamous on Facebook, etc counts)
18. Ask for student discounts on everything (you'd be surprised at how much money your student ID can save you in a college town)
19. Choose tech wisely: buy the least expensive laptop that you can use for four years, seek out free or cheap software that will get the job done, take care of your laptop and cell phone so they will last longer, never leave these things laying around so they won't get stolen
20. Seek out free entertainment: there are usually a lot of free things going on around campus to keep you entertained, join clubs (hiking club, etc), use the off campus library to borrow free movies and music, check out free community festivals, etc
21. Hit up the Goodwill, thrift stores, Walmart, Ross, and similar stores for your school wardrobe
22. Look for cheap transportation if you live far from home (when you head home for the holidays consider taking Megabus or Bolt bus instead of flying; check out ride shares with other students, etc)
23. Try "do it yourself" for all kinds of things: manicures at home instead of the salon, potlucks with friends instead of eating out, buying beer to drink at home instead of at the bar, hand washing laundry instead of running to the laundromat every day, making coffee in your room instead of going to Starbucks every morning, etc
24. When in need, ask: if you need a mini fridge for your room, ask for it as a birthday present from your folks; if you see something useful that someone else is getting rid of, ask if you can have it; hit up grandma for a home cooked meal, etc.
25. Get familiar with Freecycle, Craigslist, Groupon, r/frugal, couchsurfing, and other online ways to save money

25 Ways to Send Your Kids Back to School on the Cheap

The mall was a madhouse last weekend and it only took a few minutes to dawn on me that it was already time for kids to get ready to go back to school.  Where did the summer go? It went by so quickly!  Here's a bunch of ways to get your kids off to school this fall without breaking the bank:

1. Buy school supplies now while they are on sale.  In fact, get enough school supplies to last them for the entire year instead of paying top dollar to replenish their supplies later in the school year.
2. Start school shopping for clothes at garage sales and thrift stores then work your way up to discounters (Ross, Marshalls, Walmart, and TJ Maxx) then hit the mall.  Hopefully by the time you get to the mall, most of your shopping will be completed.
3. Sign up for free or reduced school breakfasts and lunches if you qualify.
4. Always make your kids a simple, healthy breakfast before they leave for school in the morning if they don't eat breakfast at school--they will be more likely to pay attention in class.
5. Review cell phone plans.  My sister pays $100 per kid for their cell phone plan which is shockingly high IMHO.  My prepaid plan costs only $30 per month.  Look at all of your options and find the cheapest plan based on current use (ie: some kids text only so look for a plan with fewer calling minutes and more texting minutes).
6. If you are having a rough time financially, look around at community programs to see if you can get free backpacks/haircuts/school supplies/vaccinations/etc for your kids.  There are a half dozen programs in our area that are offering these things to get kids ready to go back to school.
7. If your kids don't qualify for free or reduced school lunch (or you question how healthy these lunches are) get your kids in the habit of taking their lunch from home.
8. When our boys were in school, we would go to Walmart and buy 24 pair of the exact same socks (black, boy's athletic socks) this way we never spent time hunting for matches for their socks in the morning because they all matched!
9. Get your kids into a routine and stick with it.  When kids automatically (kind of) do homework every day after school, automatically (kind of) go to sleep at the same time each evening, and wake up automatically (kind of) each morning, the routine eventually becomes a habit.
10. Start reading with your kids before they go back to school--it gets them into the rhythm of learning before the school doors even open (get free books from the library of course).
11. Have your kids walk to school (in a group, of course) if at all possible.  I know many parents who will drive their kids two or three blocks to school when it is cheaper (and healthier!) for their kids to walk.
12. Better yet, walk with them if you can.  It will improve your health as well.
13. Consider a babysitting co-op if you and your neighbors have kids roughly the same age.  If each parent takes a day to watch the kids before and after school and you have five parents willing to do this, you will end up with free before and after school care for your kids.
14. Make sure you have after school snacks ready for your kids when they get home.  Preferably something healthy and simple to make (this saves going through the drive-thru on the way home because everyone is starving).  Things like popcorn, vegetables and hummus, cheese and crackers, etc are inexpensive and easy to serve.
15. Encourage your kids to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities.  Yes, there is some added expense, but busy kids are kids that don't have time to get into trouble (definitely a more expensive proposition).  It also develops life-long skills and looks good on college applications.
16. Look for hand-me-downs.  Whether it is clothes or sports equipment or expensive school supplies such as graphing calculators, ask around to see if friends or relatives with older kids could provide these to you at little or no cost.  Of course you will want to return the favor by sending things your kids no longer need to those who could use the items.
17. Don't forget Freecycle, eBay, and CraigsList where you can find cheaper-than-retail versions of everything from cell phones to sports equipment to clothes.
18. When clothes shopping, look at summer clearance items that can be used into the fall.  Flip flops, tank tops, and shorts are often on sale now but these items seem to be year-round apparel for teens in our area.
19. Encourage your kids to work and split the cost with you for items they want but don't need (iPad, etc).  Obviously you don't want them to work so much it interferes with school but small jobs on the weekends can bring in some cash.  I'm absolutely shocked at the huge number of kids who graduate from college then complain that they can't get a job because they have absolutely zero work experience!  There's no reason kids can't learn how to make a bit of their own money.
20. Buy for next year.  When the kids were young and growing I would often shop for super duper clearance items that were too big for them; I would buy the item then bring it out at a later date and surprise them with new clothes throughout the year.
21. Seek (free) help with homework.  The kids surpassed my math skills around middle school.  For those homework problems that you can't figure out, find free home work help online here.  Also, our local library has a free homework help section on their website.  Plus you can Google just about anything these days.
22. Avoid high legal fees (and the whole legal process!) by keeping your kids occupied and supervised.  Many of the kids I saw come through the juvenile justice system were there (aside from having lousy parents) because they were left bored and unsupervised and then one of their other bored and unsupervised friends would say "hey let's go do (fill in the blank with something illegal)."
23. Apply for scholarships NOW.  Apply for every one that your kid would even remotely qualify for.  A free higher education is a very good thing.
24. Participate in your kid's school life as much as possible.  Kids with parents who are involved in their school life (by volunteering, helping to coach a sports team, helping to chaperon a dance, etc) often have kids who are more successful.  You don't want to be your kid's BFF but you do want to be connected.
25. Another reason to keep your kids busy with activities--when you limit their exposure to TV and other advertising, you will be able to save money.  I was shocked at the amount of advertising kids see in only one cartoon program when I watched TV with my nieces a few months ago.  Of course after they saw this they immediately NEEDED the item.  Eekkk.