Spend Money on These Back-to-School Items, but Not These

This is the one item I always recommend you drop dollars on. Cheap backpacks can easily rip, cause your child backaches, and not offer support for all the interior weight. Backpacks should be thick and water-resistant, with plenty of space. Websites selling backpacks offer sizing guides based on your child’s height. Your child’s backpack shouldn’t be too big or too small. Look for thick, adjustable straps. A quality backpack can last several years and is washable. In general, character backpacks are terrible quality and won’t hold up in the washing machine. To get a good deal on a well-made backpack, search websites for last year’s styles, which are often on clearance.

Have you looked at the price of notebooks lately? (It’s just paper, right?) A well-known brand notebook can cost $4 or more — each. Yes, the designs can be intriguing, but let me tell you, sometimes my kids come home at the end of a school year with multiple, barely-used notebooks. Instead of dumping dollars on uber-expensive notebooks, ask your children what colors they like, and buy those with plain colors for one-fourth of the price. I do make one exception: Each year, I buy each of my kiddos a single “cool” notebook, with something fun on the cover, and then I buy the rest of their notebooks in plain colors.

There is a distinct quality difference between coloring brands. First, see what brand (if any) your child’s teacher asks you to purchase — and try to honor that. There’s a reason the teacher only wants a certain brand — and that reason is quality. Often, crayons and markers go into a classroom pot to be distributed to all students as needed. If the teacher doesn’t ask for a particular brand, a quick glance at customer reviews will tell you all you need to know. Cheaper crayon brands are too waxy with poor color-depth quality. Inexpensive marker brands quickly run out and often have ill-fitting caps.

Ask your child’s teacher if these will be going in the community pot for the classroom. If they aren’t, see what you already have at home. This year, we went through our bins (yes, bins) of colored pencils, regular pencils, and mechanical pencils and pulled out what we already had. We did the same for dry erase markers, large erasers, glue, folders, binders, and highlighters. At the end of the school year, my kids come home with barely-used supplies. If they’re in good shape, we utilize them the following school year. Keep in mind, some teachers are very particular about the type of pencils kids can bring to the classroom because of the pencil sharpeners. Cheaper “fun” pencils can clog the sharpeners due to the plastic coating.

Those with older kids know that teachers are quite particular about the type of calculator your child will need for more advanced math. Don’t try to go cheap on this. If the calculator — which can be quite pricey — isn’t in your budget, try to shop gently used or search for school supply donation centers where you may be able to get what your child needs.

Shoes can be quite pricey, but this is another item where you should absolutely aim for quality. Your child will likely wear their shoes every day of the week, for seven (or more) hours per day. I know, their feet grow so quickly. However, you can save money on quality shoes by shopping back-to-school sales, buying gently used, or even checking out your local resale shops which sometimes get loads of new, last-season shoes from major retailers.
By reusing what we already had — including our good-quality backpacks — I was able to get my four children’s school supplies for $100 (in total) for the upcoming school year. I also encourage my kids to utilize their allowance for any special supplies they want that aren’t necessary. The earlier you shop, the more likely you are to find great deals.