School supplies are usually pretty reasonable depending on where you shop but the costs do add up very quickly.  Even for one child and shopping for the least expensive deals possible, it can really add up.

I remember shopping for school supplies last year for my oldest daughter.  I compared before I bought.   The price was $50.00 including a new backpack and lunch box.

My second child will be starting school this year so now these prices will be doubled.   I need to indeed figure out a way to help my wallet survive.   As far as the backpack goes, it’s hand-me-down time.  My oldest daughter’s backpack is still in good condition.  I will have my second daughter use that and the lunch box.

The backpacks alone range from $10-$30 and lunch boxes range from $10-$12.  This can add up very quickly.  When my third child starts school, it’s not a bad idea to keep up with this tradition as long as they are in good or decent condition.  (TIP: To save money ahead of time, try buying the backpack and lunch box as soon as possible (watch for sales) and shop for supplies later when the school list arrives in the mail or is posted).

When shopping for the school supply essentials like crayons, markers, erasers, notebooks, folders, etc., be on the look out for two-for-one deals or package deals where you get more than one in a package.  This way you can divide evenly but save money at the same time.  Tissue and hand sanitizer comes as package deals this time of year so dividing  just became easier.

Your goal is to walk away spending about the same with two children as you would pay with one.  When you are paying for three children to go back to school you want to spend as though you are paying for two and so on.  The key is do your research and comparisons first before whipping out your cash, check book, or credit cards.  This may seem time consuming but in the end it will be worth it since you will be saving money and your wallet will be happier for it!

Happy Shopping!

In store shopping has always been therapeutic for me, spending an entire day cruising the isles in search of a bargain. I always saved online shopping for items that I knew are not generally sold in stores. But, I have seen the light when it comes to online shopping. There are a trillion online stores at my fingertips any time of the day. I remember when I was younger, my best friends’ mother used to rant and rave about the Home Shopping Network and we would laugh and say “This Woman is CRAZY.”   Now, I completely understand her joy.

I have a preteen and it seems that the Band Hero, Guitar Hero & DJ Hero franchise is the new Tickle Me Elmo because walking into a store and finding the right version for the right game systems is not an easy task. As I drove around from store to store on a hopeless mission to find the impossible a friend asked me, “Why are you wasting gas driving from store to store when you can just shop online?” I never thought to purchase such a large item online; I thought shipping and handling would break the bank. After spending the rest of the day store hopping with zero success I took my search online. I was amazed to find that not only was my item available online, it was cheaper than it was in the store and it would be delivered to my door the next day for FREE.

With almost every retailer now offering the ability to shop from the comfort of your home, here are a few that stand out above the rest when it comes to getting deals.

Amazon

Amazon puts an endless number of vendors at your fingertips and offers free shipping on many of their items when your shopping cart is over $25. Items are generally lower than the department store prices and you can buy with confidence. I placed a large order with Amazon and when I logged on to check the status of my order I saw that it had been delivered a few days before, although I never received it. I called Amazon just knowing that they were going to doubt my story. Without asking one question they told me they would rush a replacement order to me ASAP. Turns out the box had been sitting in my apartment leasing office for days; Fed Ex didn’t leave a note on my door.

Overstock.com

Think of Overstock.com as the Marshalls, TJ Maxx & Ross of the internet. Its’ name explains it all; they sell other retailers’ overstock at a fraction of the original price. An item that could be listed at regular price on a retailers’ website can also be listed simultaneously on overstock.com for a much lower price. Overstock also offers a very low shipping rate on all their items.

Ebay

I love ebay because they connect you with vendors from around the world. You have the ability to buy products that haven’t even made their way to U.S. stores yet. There are fewer middle men so you can buy items for a fraction of the in-store price. I was in a department store and saw the neatest gadget on clearance, the price seemed very reasonable. As I picked up the item I thought to myself, “I wonder how much this would be on ebay?” Thank goodness for PDA’s; I looked up the item on my phone and placed an order for two of them. Would you believe that two of that item plus shipping and handling and I actually saved $7.35 over buying it in the store?

Shopzilla

Shopzilla is great because it is a web crawler (a computer program that browses the World Wide Web in a methodical, automated manner). It is a search engine that searches other retailer websites and gives you a list of all the retailers that are selling the item you are looking for and lists the price at each website. If you were to type Tickle Me Elmo in the search bar it would tell you the cheapest place to find it online.

Pricegrabber

Another website that searches multiple websites for the best price for your item. The difference here being that pricegrabber.com offers a better product description and product reviews.