It’s that time of year again! Moms and Dads everywhere are gathering their back to school supply lists, meeting those teachers, and preparing their children for a brand new school year! I did a LOT of research into the most frugal way to do school shopping. Afterwards, I formed a strategy that I rarely employ. Just go to Walmart and get it done. Quick and dirty.
I am by no means a Walmart fan. Actually, I avoid the store 95% of the year. I also love to cut spending for my family by being a savvy shopper. But back to school shopping is an exception to the rule. We don’t know exactly what we need to buy until a week or two (at most) before we have to bring it in. That eliminates all time for shopping according to sale cycles. It also eliminates time that could be spent going to multiple stores, collecting coupons, or researching the best prices. When it comes to back to school shopping, parents are on such a limited timeframe, it really is best just to buy everything at one place.
In reality, let’s say, for example, you could find a coupon and save a quarter by buying your crayons elsewhere. Would you really make a special trip just for those crayons?! Personally, I’m all about frugality, but these days I’m also all about saving time!
There are definitely some exceptions to this rule. Graphing calculators appear on most high schoolers’ school supply lists, but they also usually cost over $100. For that specific item, price shopping does make sense. In general for the higher cost items, the money you’re going to save by going with the best sale is actually going to justify your time to get it. I can’t say the same for a pack of pencils, disinfectant wipes, or any other item which normally sells for under $5. (However, both the TI 83 Plus and TI 84 Plus are on sale for $88 at Walmart, which is about the cheapest those can be found anywhere).
Walmart just offers the lowest prices around on the majority of the things on the school supply lists, particularly coupons aside. So if you’re like me, this is your week to get your rare Walmart trip in! Comment below with any fabulous school shopping deals you’ve been about to score!
