Back To School Shopping Tips

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When stores start filling the aisles with lunch boxes, backpacks, and school supplies, you know summer break is winding down. Getting everyone ready for a new school year can get expensive quickly, especially when you’re shopping for more than one child.

Back To School Shopping Tips

A little planning can make a big difference. These back to school shopping tips can help you prioritize what your kids actually need, spread out purchases, take advantage of sales, and avoid buying everything at once.

1. A little planning goes a long way. Before shopping for anything related to getting ready for school, spend some time with your kids discussing what is needed and when it is needed. This will give you an idea of the overall cost involved so you can plan accordingly. In about three weeks, revisit the list of things you classify as “Need Later” to see if you really need them.
2. Each child will have different needs since each grade has different supplies, clothing trends, and lunch considerations. Before shopping, check the school website for more information, such as a grade-appropriate supply list. Most kids can get by in the first few days with the basics and then fill in the rest of the supplies after your student has met the teacher and knows what is expected.
3. Shop for categories of items separately to track your spending. For example, shop for all the lunch supplies on one trip and on the next trip, shop for the clothes, etc. If you lump all the shopping into one big trip for all your kids, it’s much easier to lose track of your spending goals.
4. Take advantage of sales for multiple purchases if you have more than one child to outfit for school. For example, buy one get one free snacks or drinks. For the most savings, combine a store coupon with an offer like this.
5. Delay some of your purchases until after school starts. While there are lots of great back-to-school sales before school starts, try to hold off, since you’ll often see even deeper discounts when overstocked inventory must go in a few weeks. Also, your child may change their mind about what they need based on the trends at school.
6. Before checking out, take a few minutes to see whether the retailer is offering a sale, digital coupon, rewards offer, or other discounts with sites like Rakuten. If you’re shopping online, compare prices before placing your order and check whether free shipping or store pickup could save you money. Small savings on individual purchases can add up when you’re buying supplies, clothing, shoes, backpacks, and everything else needed for a new school year.

Remember, back-to-school shopping isn’t the end of school-related expenses. As the year gets underway, costs for after-school activities, field trips, school events, fundraisers, class projects, sports, and gifts can start adding up. Leave a little room in your budget for these unexpected expenses so they don’t catch you off guard later. Planning ahead now can make it much easier to manage school expenses throughout the year.

Looking for even more ways to stretch your school-shopping budget? Check out our 10 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Shopping for more ideas, including shopping your house first, buying secondhand, and getting kids involved in the budget.

Once the shopping is done, kids can personalize some of those new supplies with our 10 Easy DIY Notebook Ideas for Back to School.

Before you call your school shopping complete, don’t miss these 7 Back-to-School Essentials You Won’t Find on a List, plus three bonus items that can make school days a little easier.

Originally contributed to The Review Wire in 2010. Post updated August 2026.