Back to school supply shopping? Already? I cannot believe that school starts here in a little over 2 weeks. How is that possible?

Back to school supply shopping

On the last day of school my little guy came home with a list of school supplies for the coming school year. It seems like each year the list of items gets longer and longer. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy to provide what is needed for my sons’ classrooms but when I was growing up we never had these crazy lists. I remember going to the store to pick out my Lisa Frank trapper keeper (I am SO dating myself right now), pencils that I would freshly sharpen before the first day, and once I was in high school I would look for cool paper, picture frames, a mirror and other items to decorate my locker.

I actually enjoy back to school supply shopping. I thrive on finding the best deals out there – it’s like a treasure hunt.

FIRST AND FOREMOST

At the end of the school year – I’d say during the last month – unused school supplies start to make their way back home. Each day when the boys come home and I check their homework, I find unused glue sticks and folders in their backpack. They go directly into a box in my downstairs closet, awaiting the list for the next school year.

SALES TAX WEEKEND

Every year at about this time, Florida holds a sales tax weekend – this year it is August 5 – 7. School supplies under $15 are tax-exempt, as are clothing, shoes and accessories under $60. Click HERE to find out if your state offers the same incentive.

ONLINE SHOPPING

I love to shop online – especially when it comes to school supply shopping. My usual MO is to sit down in front of my computer with a cup of coffee (or wine depending on if it is AM or PM with the boys asleep) and start the ritual. I open up a tab in my internet browser for each of the online retailers I want to price match. I usually choose:

Amazon – I am a Prime member, which means free 2-day shipping. If you are not already a Prime member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial – just remember to cancel before the 30 days are up if you don’t want to continue with the membership.
Target – I am a huge Target fan to begin with, and now that I have a Target credit card, I love it even more. I get 5% off (instantly) and free shipping.
Office Depot
Wal-Mart

I then input into each tab each of the items on the list to see which retailer offers the best deal. If it means ordering from different sites, so be it! This year I was able to find the majority of the deals on Target.com but a few items on Amazon were less.

Check out my latest news segment describing my three tips above.