The countdown has already begun for the return to school, and experts advise not to leave for the last moment the purchases that we will need to make. Being forecasters avoids last-minute surprises and, above all, helps us save on the shopping list.
And, one of the main problems that families face when children return to school, is the significant financial outlay that textbooks, school supplies or clothing entail, especially when we have more than one child. From my experience as a large family mother, I share 17 tricks to make the return to school more bearable for our pockets.
How to save on the purchase of textbooks
1) Find help in your Autonomous Community, City Hall or school
Many Autonomous Communities offer different types of help for the purchase of books and school supplies, or even start up textbook loan projects. The municipal libraries of some municipalities also have this service. On the other hand, there are more and more schools that through the Student Parent Associations have a loan bag or help to families.
But the information to request this type of subsidies is normally published before the end of the school year, and for the next academic year. Therefore, if the opportunity has been missed for the course that is about to begin, pay attention to the application deadlines and requirements for the 2020-2021 academic year which are published on the websites of the Ministry of Education and the Councils of the different Autonomous Communities.
2) Inherit books from family and friends
Use second-hand books of brothers and acquaintances It is perhaps the most common option and the one that brings us the greatest savings, although it is not always easy to take advantage of the books of others, especially if they are very written and underlined.
Therefore, if you have the option of lending a book or lending it to you, train them at the beginning of the course for better conservation and warn your children that, as much as they can, try to write as little as possible inside the book and always do it in pencil.
3) Rental and sale of used books
If you do not get a friend or acquaintance to lend you the books, you can use different websites that offer these options, such as the Google Play rental service, or the different second-hand websites that we can find in the market, such as Amazon or Wallapop, whose book sales are multiplied by ten during the months prior to the start of the course.
In Babies and more Where to buy second-hand textbooks at the best priceAnd just like renting or buying used books, find out how to sell or rent textbooks from past courses that your children will no longer need. In this way, the disbursement you make on the one hand, you recover on the other.
4) Online or physical store? Compare and decide
Personally, I am not very much in favor of selling online or in large stores that do so much damage to small local businesses, but when it comes to saving sometimes there is no other option, because the succulent prices that electronic commerce sometimes offers are difficult competition.
However, experience has shown me that You don't always save by shopping in large stores or through the Internet, and that in many occasions the best offers and discounts are offered by small neighborhood bookstores. Therefore, we must investigate before buying: Amazon? Competitive offers of large areas? Juicy discounts from local bookstores? Search, compare and decide!
So, before launching to buy textbooks it is advisable to have exhausted these options; collecting information and comparing prices to minimize one of the main expenses of going back to schoolHow to save on the purchase of school supplies
5) Reuse everything you can
This is one of the main premises that we follow at home each course start: Before buying new material, let's take a look at what we have at home and let's collect what we can take advantage of. You will be surprised at the amount of things that can be reused, and the consequent savings that will result in the shopping list.
Virtually new colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, backpack, case, notebooks with just two written sheets, folders or filing cabinets ... It is true that kids love to release and that the backpack of the last course already have it very visible, but if it is new, why buy another one?
6) Compare prices in different stores
And if you still have to buy new school supplies, I recommend you follow the same criteria we have followed with textbooks, and purchase it in that establishment (online or physical) where greater variety and better prices offer.
In Babies and more How to make the September slope less heavy for families with the return to school7) Step purchases
Equally, neither is it necessary to buy all the material at the beginning of the course, since much of it will be used as the quarters progress. Therefore, it may be better to focus only on the first quarter and wait a bit to buy the rest. In this way, we will distribute the expense.
8) Wait for electronic offers for students
And if your children are going to need tablets, printers, computers or any other electronic material to return to school, it is convenient stay tuned for special offers and promotions for students They usually take out the stores days before starting the course.
How to save on the purchase of clothing and footwear
9) Anticipate the purchases you can and stagger the expense
Clothes are a great financial outlay, especially if we want to buy it all at once and days before starting the course. Once again, anticipating and staggering spending is key to saving!
To do this, locate the end of season offers that can serve you for the future (yes, calculate buy a couple of sizes more), buy in the sales of January or summer, take advantage of the closing sales of local stores or The offers offered by the outlet.
10) Buying one more size is not always good advice
Buy garments one size larger: Who has not used this trick to further extend their children's clothes? But beware, buying a tracksuit a larger size when we are certain that it will not last even a quarter, may not be a good option.
Let us think that, first and foremost, children have to go to school comfortable and that they will play carelessly about their clothes, so it is likely that it will break and not last the entire course. Go shopping based on the needs that arise It may be the best decision.
11) Reuse and reinvent worn or small items
There are several ways to extend the life of children's clothing, such as cutting pants that have been left fishing, sewing knee pads and elbow patches to cover holes or hemming skirts and pants that we have bought large.
Over time I have learned that almost any garment, however worn or small it may seem, can have a new life, and giving it a new opportunity will save us nothing negligible.
In Babies and more Mother's hair that will help you save by buying clothes for the baby12) Buy second-hand clothes
Buying second-hand clothes is always a success when it comes to saving on children's textile equipment, and there are several stores dedicated to this business. On the other hand, if your children go to a school with a school uniform, ask in the AMPA or other mothers with whom you have confidence, because in many occasions groups of clothes exchange are organized that are a great relief for our pockets.
13) Always labeled clothes
And don't forget to mark the children's clothes! By reading it all you will not avoid that during the year some clothes are lost (because they will be lost ... and surely several times in the course!), But at least you will be able to recover them (in most cases) if they are correctly labeled.
There are several companies custom label manufacturers, both for marking clothing and footwear and for other materials. I personally consider that It is an expense that can be dispensed withWell, although they are original labels, durable and quick to put on, they are still an extra expense that we can supply with a white ribbon and an indelible marker.
Analyze the rest of the expenses, are they really necessary?
But the cost of going back to school does not only apply to school supplies, books and clothing; in fact, the bulk (especially in families with more than one child) goes into the expenses of the canteen, school transport or extracurricular activities. Therefore, it is worth analyzing whether they are really necessary expenses or we can do without them.
14) School dining room
In most cases, parent work schedules make it very difficult for children to eat at home and generally they should do it in school. But perhaps, if we look for it and all parties agree, we could count on the help of grandparents, trusted friends or other relatives to pick us up from school children at lunchtime.
It may not be during the entire course, but only a quarter or even a single month. But any help would be a significant saving for our pocket and a moment of the day that the little ones will look forward to.
In Babies and more, a continuous conference or departure in schools ?: this is what families think15) Extracurricular activities
If the children demand extracurricular activities, or if, due to incompatibility with our work, we have to sign them up for classes after school, we must compare the different options that exist to choose the one that best suits family needs and greater savings we contribute.
Sometimes, municipalities have programs in play centers or municipal extracurricular activities whose costs are much lower than those offered by other facilities such as private gyms, music schools or language academies.
16) School, public or private transportation?
If there is no option to go to school on foot, study the different possibilities you have to get there without having to resort to the school route or your private vehicle, which although they may be the most comfortable options are undoubtedly the most expensive.
Maybe you can go to school by bicycle or scooter (a fun way to start the day!), By public transport or by car sharing with other neighbors or friends on rotating shifts.
17) Advance purchases
It is one of the main ideas that I have tried to reflect throughout the post: plan and anticipate our purchases It is undoubtedly the best savings. By advancing purchases you will also get:
Relax in the final stretch of your vacation, because with all "homework done", the return to the routine will not be so stressful.
You will save time by avoid last minute crowds and the compulsive purchases "to finish as soon as possible", which eventually lead to extra expenses.
You will avoid unpleasant surprises like out of stock books or low stock of products. In addition, he thinks that the less variety of products there are, the less options to choose and less possibilities to find good prices.
Have time to be able to compare prices before buying, or to search - without stress - that book that you have been asked for and that is so hard to find. In this regard, I recommend you take a look at the textbook price comparators, as they allow us to know the price of the same book in different places.
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