Back to school sales are much like Black Friday sales for me, as much as I hate to shop them I just can't pass up the savings with my limited budget so Yes, I always shop them.
No, even though I'm a college student, I'm never in need of school supplies for the home. Everything I need is available in the office supplies at work, or I can find on campus somewhere.
I shop Back-to-School Sales during August for items we don't have which are used but in good condition or new and stockpiled from previous sales. After the search at home, I take both of my kids' lists and compare them to one "super store," buying any item which is on the list and a penny (and whatever small minimum the store requires for some of the other things. I also shop the other stores' sales when I know that their deals are the lowest compared to last years' deals (I use a site which compares the prices for each week in the current year with the lowest price tracked last year.) A day or so before school starts, I buy whatever is left on the lists. For clothes, we just replace when needed around the year, shopping sales and consignment shops.
One of the best tips here is avoiding name brand cereals. We need to get in the habit of this at my house. It will be hard to do without my Life cereal, but the Food Lion brand tastes almost exactly the same.
I'm with you! We felt really ripped off by our 'bundle', so we dropped cable altogether! Hubby received an Apple TV as a groomsman's gift (very nice gift!) and we got ourselves a Slingbox. Upgraded our internet a teeny bit for streaming speed, and we still saved $55 a month. We do send my in-laws a check each month to cover our share of the HD box we stream from, which is minimal, and yes, legal. The devices easily pay for themselves within three to four months to anyone considering the switch. We will never go back!
Yes! I am a school supply junkie, which is great bc hubby is a teacher! Haha :) This time of year has the best sales on stuff for him. Also bc of hub's teacher card at Staples, we get extra promos (can buy 10 - 1 cent packs of paper, not just 5) and I always take advantage for donations. I love school supplies!
OH yes, I always shop back to school sales and try to get good prices! We also start early and try to pick up a little at a time to help spread the cost out a bit!
No, we don't have kids yet and we tend to spend more in the summer with eating out and travel, so by the end of August I'm trying to cut way back again!
We have had our ups and downs with debt over the years, always with the long-term goal of being debt-free, and celebrating the milestones is huge. One of our favorite memories ever is taking our best friends out to a nice dinner after I paid off all my college-induced credit cards. We just bought a $35 chair at the thrift store I work at (in great condition!) to celebrate paying our taxes off after a difficult move to another state and paying off two small student loans. Celebrating is so key -- otherwise you go crazy.
We are super motivated to keep knocking them out, and having a little chart on our fridge with our debt balances keeps us focused. I use a green marker to color in the amounts as we pay them... returning the money and the power back to us a little bit at a time! :) It's a journey, but we are going to get there and we are determined to enjoy the little victories and pleasures along the way.
We shop clearance sales where you get better prices. The important thing is do not buy things that you do not need and do not buy too much (things can still spoil). Back to school sales do not bring the best prices. When we need school supplies, we check the prices carefully to make sure that we are really getting a good deal.
Yes, definitely! My sons are in college, so I get a few things for them. I also shop the sales for office supplies & for personal supplies to last throughout the year. Might as well take advantage of the sales when you can! Besides, I love fresh school supplies! ;-)
It is no surprise that this kind of debt is depressing people--young or old. I call the flow of money out the window (to pay debt or whatever) in excess of income "Cash-Burn." And just like it's namesake, heartburn, it causes terrible distress. The best thing that anyone suffering from cashburn can do is to put everything they can into paying off that debt--and learn as quickly as possible to live below their means. I write about it on my blog at http://smartliving365.com/a-simple-cure-for-those-suffering-from-cash-burn/ I hope more people read this and other articles like it BEFORE they take on the debt in the first place.
I shop all the back to school sales and keep an eye on store flyers for the sales. So far this year there have been a lot of good $1 sales. I shop for both school and general home use.
I just used a visa debit card with $0.69 left on it to buy an amazon gift card. Sweet! Amazon automatically combines your gift cards together so no worries about having to split purchases!
Excellent advice when doing any type of online shopping.
Back to school sales are much like Black Friday sales for me, as much as I hate to shop them I just can't pass up the savings with my limited budget so Yes, I always shop them.
I never actually considered moving around the furniture, but that is a really great tip.
No, even though I'm a college student, I'm never in need of school supplies for the home. Everything I need is available in the office supplies at work, or I can find on campus somewhere.
I shop Back-to-School Sales during August for items we don't have which are used but in good condition or new and stockpiled from previous sales. After the search at home, I take both of my kids' lists and compare them to one "super store," buying any item which is on the list and a penny (and whatever small minimum the store requires for some of the other things. I also shop the other stores' sales when I know that their deals are the lowest compared to last years' deals (I use a site which compares the prices for each week in the current year with the lowest price tracked last year.) A day or so before school starts, I buy whatever is left on the lists. For clothes, we just replace when needed around the year, shopping sales and consignment shops.
One of the best tips here is avoiding name brand cereals. We need to get in the habit of this at my house. It will be hard to do without my Life cereal, but the Food Lion brand tastes almost exactly the same.
I don't like these sorts of sites/deals because they cause me to consider purchasing things I would otherwise not go out and buy.
At the end of the day, you end up spending more than if you had just ignored them.
Nice tips. I've negotiated for rent 3 times, and got what I wanted twice so it's definitely always worth a try!
Yep. This time of the year is when I stock up on pencils, notebooks, pens, crayons and glue.
I thought the same thing. Why not suggest they eat it to reduce depression at the same time or something along those lines?
I'm with you! We felt really ripped off by our 'bundle', so we dropped cable altogether! Hubby received an Apple TV as a groomsman's gift (very nice gift!) and we got ourselves a Slingbox. Upgraded our internet a teeny bit for streaming speed, and we still saved $55 a month. We do send my in-laws a check each month to cover our share of the HD box we stream from, which is minimal, and yes, legal. The devices easily pay for themselves within three to four months to anyone considering the switch. We will never go back!
Yes! I am a school supply junkie, which is great bc hubby is a teacher! Haha :) This time of year has the best sales on stuff for him. Also bc of hub's teacher card at Staples, we get extra promos (can buy 10 - 1 cent packs of paper, not just 5) and I always take advantage for donations. I love school supplies!
my husband is this year because he is going back to school
OH yes, I always shop back to school sales and try to get good prices! We also start early and try to pick up a little at a time to help spread the cost out a bit!
No, we don't have kids yet and we tend to spend more in the summer with eating out and travel, so by the end of August I'm trying to cut way back again!
We have had our ups and downs with debt over the years, always with the long-term goal of being debt-free, and celebrating the milestones is huge. One of our favorite memories ever is taking our best friends out to a nice dinner after I paid off all my college-induced credit cards. We just bought a $35 chair at the thrift store I work at (in great condition!) to celebrate paying our taxes off after a difficult move to another state and paying off two small student loans. Celebrating is so key -- otherwise you go crazy.
We are super motivated to keep knocking them out, and having a little chart on our fridge with our debt balances keeps us focused. I use a green marker to color in the amounts as we pay them... returning the money and the power back to us a little bit at a time! :) It's a journey, but we are going to get there and we are determined to enjoy the little victories and pleasures along the way.
We shop clearance sales where you get better prices. The important thing is do not buy things that you do not need and do not buy too much (things can still spoil). Back to school sales do not bring the best prices. When we need school supplies, we check the prices carefully to make sure that we are really getting a good deal.
Yes, definitely! My sons are in college, so I get a few things for them. I also shop the sales for office supplies & for personal supplies to last throughout the year. Might as well take advantage of the sales when you can! Besides, I love fresh school supplies! ;-)
Juice boxes? Ha! If we had juice it was always watered down. The same with Koolaid...less sugar used obviously!
It is no surprise that this kind of debt is depressing people--young or old. I call the flow of money out the window (to pay debt or whatever) in excess of income "Cash-Burn." And just like it's namesake, heartburn, it causes terrible distress. The best thing that anyone suffering from cashburn can do is to put everything they can into paying off that debt--and learn as quickly as possible to live below their means. I write about it on my blog at http://smartliving365.com/a-simple-cure-for-those-suffering-from-cash-burn/ I hope more people read this and other articles like it BEFORE they take on the debt in the first place.
I shop all the back to school sales and keep an eye on store flyers for the sales. So far this year there have been a lot of good $1 sales. I shop for both school and general home use.
I just used a visa debit card with $0.69 left on it to buy an amazon gift card. Sweet! Amazon automatically combines your gift cards together so no worries about having to split purchases!
I stock up during the year whenever there is a sale.
A prepaid card (choose wisely, fees vary) is a great alternative to a credit card for your college bound kids.
I love sales and sales I especially need. I've already hit up several for back to school. The more I save the more I buy to help out other kids.