Also, remind children that not all items need to be purchased on one shopping trip, said Young, who offered cost-saving tips:
- Check school enrollment dates and fees, such as book rentals, band instrument rental or athletic fees, and required immunizations. List these fixed costs in the "must have" category.
- Check school food costs and weigh the cost (and convenience) of purchasing school meals versus packing a lunch. Either way, food costs should go into the "must have" category.
- What is the cost of getting the child to and from school? Is there a charge for riding the bus? Can you carpool with a neighbor? This cost also should go in the "must have" category.
- Check to see if your family qualifies for reduced school fees or programs, such as reduced prices on school lunches.
- Supplies? Round up notebooks, pencils, backpack, lunch box or carrier, etc. from last year, and take inventory. Compare your inventory with the school supply list (provided by the school district) and buy only what is needed.
- Check the school's dress code before scheduling try-on time to check clothing and shoes to see what fits and is still wearable.
- Prioritize the shopping list, and plan to put the money where it matters most. Shopping consignment shops that offer gently-used items, thrift stores and garage sales can yield a savings on jeans or khaki pants others have outgrown, but not worn out. Put the money into shoes that fit.
- Spread out spending. If a child is growing rapidly, it may make more sense to buy two pairs of jeans or khakis and rotate them, rather than buying several pairs at one time. Waiting to buy a winter coat until fall and pre-season sales allows time for the child to grow and a savings.
- Branded merchandise? If a child wants designer label shoes or clothing, ask him to make up the difference between regularly-priced merchandise and a more expensive item. A child's buy-in - working for and contributing to what he wants - teaches money management.
- Don't spend money you don't have. Try to pay cash, rather than charge back-to-school expenses. If using a credit card, try not to charge more than you can pay off in one billing cycle, as interest on a credit card balance will erode any potential savings on sale merchandise.
- Check sales flyers, but know that one store isn't likely to have the lowest price on everything on your shopping list. Weigh price and the time and money required to drive from store to store in evaluating total purchase prices.
- Shop with a list for each child, and stick to it. Also, ask the child to help you keep track of expenditures so everyone knows when it's time to stop shopping.
- If you can estimate children's sizes, shop for clothes during the off-season at a substantial - sometimes 50 to 75 percent - savings.
- Shop when stores are least crowded, during early morning or later in the evening and on a weekday, if possible.
- Track back-to-school expenses to help in planning savings to ease the back-to-school cash crunch next year. In doing so, be sure to add extras: For example, just how much does it really cost you to eat out on the way to an out-of-town ball game? To save, Young suggested, pack a picnic and share a ride.
More information on managing money is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices or on its financial management Web site at: www.oznet.ksu.edu/financialmanagement/.
About this Article:
K-State Research and Extension is a
short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural
Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program
designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the
well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and
private funds, the program has county Extension offices,
experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research
centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in
Manhattan.
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