Southern Illinois Money Savers

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I don’t know how things are around your house but Back to School can get very expensive.  Here are some things we do that keep costs to a minimum.

41.  Shop the School Supply Loss Leaders: For about the last two weeks all the local stores are trying to get you in their door by offering a few school supplies at Rock Bottom Prices in hopes that once you get there you will buy everything you need on the list.  However if you get your child’s supply list you can shop a little at a time for a few weeks prior to school starting and you can really clean up.  If store A has crayons, glue and paper at the lowest price this week then stock up on those items. Next week you may head to store B to get scissors, rulers and back packs.  Don’t feel like you have to buy it all at once and you will really knock some dollars off your total cost.

42. Make a Detailed List Before Going Clothes Shopping: Every season we go through the girls clothes, get rid of anything they won’t wear anymore or items that are no longer in good shape.   Then we see what still fits them and what they still like.  Once we know what we need we make a list.  For example:  4 pairs of jeans, tennis shoes, jacket, etc.   By focusing on what you need as opposed to what you want you will definitely save money.

43. Look for Hand Me Downs: If you have more than one child like I do you can save money on your younger children by using hand me downs.  Hand me downs can be clothes and shoes but it also can be school supplies.   For instance my youngest needs a specific calculator for 7th grade this year.  Her older sister had that same calculator in 7th grade and it is still in great shape.  So rather than buying a new calculator Jonah will be using her sister’s.

44. Check out Your Local Thrift Stores: Once we have our list we make our first stop at some local thrift stores.  If we are lucky we may be able to find some items on the list and we have often found items that look nearly new.  The best part is that thrift store prices definitely save cash.

45. Finally Shop Clearance: After we have exhausted the above options we head to the mall.  My girls are going into 7th and 9th and they love stores like Hollister, American Eagle, Aeropostale and Gap but we do not love the prices.   The rule at these stores is to always head to the clearance/sale section.  The girls go to school looking fashionable and cute and it does not break our budget.

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