Affordable Back-to-School Shopping

"People tend to get into a frenzy and go into the store and buy everything on their school list," said Diane M. Rosener, editor and publisher of A Penny Saved, an Omaha-based, nationally distributed newsletter on personal budget-balancing. "They forget to shop around or wait for sales--or wait until the child actually needs something on the list."

This can prove an economic disaster, particularly for families who have just returned from summer vacation, said Gary Stroth, executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service in Los Angeles. All too often, families overspend on vacation, then rush into school shopping right after. By the time they sit down and realize how much they’ve spent, they’re heavily in debt, which makes getting back on track twice as difficult, he said.

"It’s a lack of planning," Stroth said. "If you wait until the last minute, it becomes a crisis. Back up a little. Spend a few hours making up a plan."

How do you keep the back-to-school budget in line?

* Take inventory. The biggest mistake most parents make is failing to take stock of what they’ve got before they go out to buy what they think they need, Stroth said.

Because clothing is likely to be the most costly part of your back-to-school shopping trip, spend an hour going through the kids’ closets to determine what they have. Then, the way Lipscomb does, consider limited additions that will mix and match with the existing items.

* Consider hand-me-downs and thrift stores. Some youth fashion trends--particularly retro and baggy clothes--are a godsend to budget-conscious parents, said Mary Hunt, the Paramount-based editor of the newsletter Cheapskate Digest and author of several books on ways to save money. These days, thrift stores are more likely than designer shops to have the "in" fashions. Although you may balk at sending the kids out wearing Salvation Army castoffs, keep in mind that these clothes don’t cost much. When this trend runs its course, you’ll have saved enough to buy pricier outfits.

* Buy over time. Most schools provide parents with shopping lists, enumerating the pencils, pens, notebooks, pads and other supplies that children will need for the year. The natural inclination is to rush out before school starts and pick up the entire bundle, Rosener said. But that’s costly and often unnecessary.

Generally speaking, your child needs only a few items on that list on the first day of school and won’t need the rest for several weeks or months. That’s important because most school supplies go on sale by mid-September so stores can make room for holiday items, Rosener said. If you’re not certain which items must be purchased now and which can wait, call the school. Teachers and administrators often start work about a week before the kids do, so somebody is likely to be available to answer your questions.

The same holds true for clothes, said Janet Bodnar, editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and author of "Dr. Tightwad’s Money-Smart Kids." Buy a few things now, a few later. Tuck a few away for holiday presents. In general, pace yourself so you can buy with cash rather than costly credit.

* Shop rested. Another big mistake parents make is scheduling school shopping after work or at the end of an exhausting day, Stroth said. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to buy anything just to get it over with--or to cave in to unreasonable demands by a child simply because you don’t have the energy to argue, he said. Plan your shopping trips for when you’re likely to have some stamina.

* Comparison-shop from home. Checking around for bargains is an age-old concept. However, if you’re comparison-shopping by running store to store, you could spend as much on gas as you save on supplies. At this time of year, there are plenty of advertisements in the Sunday newspaper that can signal where the bargains are. Use your phone to compare prices from your dining room.

* Avoid impulse purchases. Small children in particular are vulnerable to the latest fashion trends. But kids’ fashion trends are transitory, and there’s a decent chance that today’s trend will be passe within the first weeks of school. When possible, postpone movie-themed and ultra-trendy purchases to see whether they last more than a week.

* Take the kids--or don’t. Experts disagree on whether the kids should go on the shopping trips or whether they should stay at home. One camp maintains that you can teach your kids valuable lessons about money by creating a budget and making them stick to it.

The other side says teaching kids about money is great but that the back-to-school frenzy is the wrong time to do it. It’s simply too tough to corral your offspring when every other kid in the mall is going wacko over the buy du jour, Rosener said.

If you do take the kids, Bodnar recommends that you tell them in advance specifically what you’re shopping for, whether it’s three notebooks or two T-shirts.

"Set the ground rules," she said. "It cuts down on a lot of the fighting, angst and unnecessary spending."