Ideas for back to school shopping survival?

Question

School starts back up in about a month for my older elementary school daughter. There's that list of school supplies that I have to start working on and she always wants to go clothes & shoe shopping & backpacks & lunchboxes. Most years we had the money to do this but not this year. She's older now and we love the thrift stores but she's into fashion now. Does anyone have any creative traditions to keep the excitement but not break the budget? Any ideas to get through this shopping season with a smile on her face but with limited funds spent?

Answer 1

Check your local listings and see if you have a Platos Closet.  Its a resale shop but they only buy name brand stuff thats in good condition.

If not, TJMAX is my favorite store for name brand stuff for cheap.

Answer 2

i usually go cloth shopping for my son who wants to look cool for the new school year i go to staples and buy some basic supples pencils lead pencils pens paper new binder if the other one he used last year is in poor condition stuff like that.

Answer 3

maybe take her shopping but make a game out of getting the best deals.

like if she can get so much stuff with a certain amount of money, you'll buy her a gift card to her favorite store.

it will teach her the value of shopping the sales, and spending money wisely.

it'll be fun.

my moms done that with me, and now i love shopping the sales, cuz i get so much more :)

Answer 4

no need -use the same clothes as current.  replenish the wardrobe as she grows out of clothing.  take the focus off of the shopping and spend some time together.

Answer 5

I would get her to help you balance the budget. Maybe ebay? She's not old enough to use it alone (obviously) but you and she could do some searches together and compare prices with new/high street stuff, and you can push the idea that if she buys less expensive clothes she gets to have more of them :) My daughter's twelve and loves seeing how much she can get for a fixed amount of money.

Answer 6

a couple of years ago,,we started buying ONLY one new outfit for the first day of school and then they went back to everyday clothes.  i see no point in buy numerous outfits for warm weather when they already have summer clothes.  that and if i buy the cold weather gear now ,,,they are outgrowing it before they wear it.  we went to one new outfit ,,,and then as the cold weather gear is needed i pick up an outfit here and there.  the kids have taken to this quite well, as they usually can get a bit more expensive better outfit as i am not strapped for cash. for the school supplies i pick things up here and there everytime i am at the store.  i have been known to also pick up a bunch at the sales after the rush and hide them away for next time.  my kids also have used "last years" back pack for the first month ,,,then i get them a new one on sale for half off ,,,,the sales after the first month of school are great.  i have 11 year old twins,,,so trust me i know how and where to find a bargain

i have also found that dollar stores are not always the cheapest for school supplies. i did this one year and found out after the fact that many of the things i thought were a "good deal for a 1$" were cheaper at target/walmart.  be sure to watch the ads and shop around

Answer 7

haha yea its called the sales rack! also buy her a gift card to her fave store and if she runs short dont giver her the money it will be like teaching her to budget the money. also she could get shorts and jeans from thrift stores and just get cute graphic tees from her fave fashion stores. also target and walmart have really cool back packs and lunchboxes

Answer 8

Well, I'm going to be in 7th grade next year

and for clothes, I go to TJ MAX and Discovery Clothing Co.

sometimes

Both of those stores have great clothes that'd you'd see at the mall for lower prices!

Other stores that i like are:

Forever21

Wet Seal

Kohls

JC Penny

Answer 9

If by older elementary school you mean she is about 9-10 years old then she is old enough to understand budgeting.

Also...maybe she has grown over the summer but that does not mean her clothes shred in the closet  overnight before school starts. What can she wear from last year -- you can make a pair of pants more ``this year`` with a cool new top.

If you can...make two different days of shopping. Day 1: School and lunch. Set a budget for the max you can spend on school supplies; backpack; lunch box. Any extras can be spent on awesome snacks for the lunchbox. Also stock up on Bread for the freezer; tortillas for wraps; plastic containers and ziploc bags; cans of tuna or ham or chicken for salad-sandwiches; anything else non-perishable so you will have a lot around for the semester. Get larger bags of chips; boxes of crackers and cookies; etc. instead of 100 calorie bags or individual packages and help her do the math to see how much money you save that way. Get packages of instant pudding you can make at home and send in a little Gladware container instead of pudding snacks. Etc.

Help her decide if she wants the more expensive cool  notebooks and folders at the expense of a better backpack or do we think no one will really notice what kind of folder or notebook you have after the first of the year anyway and a sturdy backpack that is cute is more important.

No clothes on this day unless you see some things on clearance at the same stores you are getting lunchbox and backpack that you HAVE to have.

Day 2: fashion. Discuss these things:

1. Does it matter what brand a basic like polo or tee or tank is? Really? Who will notice? Is it not better to get basics that are still fashionable from thrift stores or Target or Wal-Mart (my daughter who is 12 LOVES the boot cut pants and tanks and tees from  Wal-mart) that will blend in and get a few nice pieces perhaps from a nice store or one amazing outfit?

2. Check the ads in the Sunday paper or circulars in the mail for what is on clearance at the stores and plan which stores might have good buys.

3. Go to the thrift stores first. I spent a total of $75 at a thrift store for my daughter and got the following:

Denims -- 1 abercrombie; 1 american eagle; 1 GAP; 1 seven for all mankind; 1 true religion; 1 lucky

Khakis -- 1 abercrombie boot cut

Capris -- 1 denim cargo from lucky; 1 khaki cargo from Union bay with tag still on; 1 denim skinny from silver; 1 brown from the Gap.

Then we went to Penneys and got three cool tunic/blouses for $3-6 each on clearance.  

Got sneakers for $21.99 from Dunhams - the discount sporting goods store.

Her Wal-Mart pants from last year will work also.  

She is very happy with her take and seventh grade of us is the beginning of middle school (ours is only 7-8th which is kinda dumb but what can ya do) so fashion is getting more important.

Answer 10

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Electronics: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:All%20Electr...

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Top 10 Guys' Fashion: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:Top%2010%20G...

Top 10 Cell Phones: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:Top%2010%20C...

More Back to School Shopping from Yahoo!: http://shopping.yahoo.com/b:Back-to-Scho...

Answer 11

For school supplies you should try a dollar store. I like dollar tree, the one by my house is really nice and has almost everything. You won't be able to get everything there but most items will be there. Remember, though, that not all dollar stores are created equal. You should scout one out in a nice expensive area and shop there.

For clothing, check out the sales during the summer. I slowly purchase items for my kids in the summer not all at once. You can buy a good backpack for $10-$15 at a discount store like Ross, Marshall's or TJ Maxx. These stores should be your best Friends since you can find almost anything that you need there.  Depending on where you live you can also find outlets of all sorts.