Back to School Shopping

It's that time of the year again, huh? Whether you're shopping for a young grade schooler or an older college student, this time of the year can get rather hectic and expensive. Fortunately, there are many ways you can save time and money during the back to school shopping season. With some proper planning you can make this a worthwhile experience for you and your family.

Start Early

Don't wait until the week before the shopping season to start listing down the things your kids need for school. If you wait until the last minute, you'll most likely miss out on the best deals on school supplies and you'll probably end up with the leftovers - ugly colors, lower quality products, and whatnot. Obviously, you don't want to disappoint your kids. Once you have your list prepared, you can start looking through the weekly flyers in your newspaper for deals or you can even turn to the internet for some of the best deals around.

Coupon and Deals Sites

If you handle this shopping season ahead of time, then you can buy items for your back to schoolers online and still have time to wait for your items to ship. Take advantage of some of the limited deals available on sites like fatwallet.com and slickdeals.net. You need to watch these sites daily just in case something awesome comes up. If you do see a deal that tickles your fancy, then you need to act then and there as these deals don't last long. These sites usually give shoppers instructions on how to snag the best deals, which tend to include a combination of coupon codes and cash back. Deal tippers will give everyone a step-by-step of how to get the best bang for your buck.

Don't Buy Books from the School's Bookstore

For students in high school and college, you might need to buy some textbooks from the school's bookstore. However, these tend to be overpriced, even their used copies. What you need to do is check out sites like Amazon.com, Half.com, and AbeBooks.com. There are instances where you might be able to pickup brand new copies of your assigned textbooks for cheaper than used copies from the school bookstore. Crazy, huh? That's why it pays to take the time to plan things out and shop smart.

Enjoy This Time with Your Kids

As tiring and frustrating this back to school shopping season can be, don't let the little things get to you. Try to enjoy this time with your kids, especially if they're heading off to college for the first time. You won't have them around all the time, so this is a great opportunity to spend time together before that first day on campus.