SUPER-COUPONING: Back to achool — what does it look like this year?

What should we know for the back-to-school shopping season this year? Have any of your savings strategies changed in this post-pandemic landscape?

Perry S.

My shopping and savings tips for the back-to-school season usually don’t change that much year to year. Typically, I embrace a loss-leader strategy on school supplies by skimming sales ads for the best deals, then buying when items are priced at or below .25 each. In previous years, I’ve seen far more penny school supplies and free-after-rebate supplies than I’ve seen this year, but there are still some great deals to be had.

In a normal year, I’d also have recommended going around to multiple stores and chasing only those rock-bottom-priced items. Many people feel the urge to buy every item on their child’s list to get shopping done quickly, but this method doesn’t ensure that you will obtain the lowest prices for the items you need. While some of them may be priced in the pocket-change range, others will undoubtedly be at full price, and you’ll overpay when you could have saved.

That said, with many areas of the country resuming pandemic guidelines to limit contact and resume masking, your shopping time may be more of a concern than the prices being paid. That’s a valid personal choice, of course, and if that is your current perspective, I recommend taking a look at your local stores’ sales circulars and choosing the retailer that has the largest number of sale items on your list.

Back-to-school time is also the best time of the year to stock up on school and office supplies for your home as well. Last year, a tremendous portion of the nation’s schoolchildren were attending school remotely from home, and the same was true for a good part of the workforce. More people were learning and working from home than ever before, and many of us devoted a desk, table, or corner of our homes specifically as a home office space.

If you’re still working at home, or if you feel that there’s any possibility that your children may go through another round of at-home schooling, do not miss this opportunity to stock your home office spaces with pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, and other necessary supplies while prices are still low. This is the time of year I like to purchase printer paper, adhesive tape, glue sticks, paper clips and binder clips, highlighters, and permanent markers to restock my desk.

If you have young children who enjoy making crafts, consider stocking up on things like glue and glue sticks, construction paper, poster board, and other items currently at low prices too.

Back-to-school isn’t just about desk and locker supplies though — students likely also need new clothes and shoes. About two weeks ago, I took my teenage sons to multiple large-chain clothing retailers to pick out jeans, shirts, and sneakers for my sons. In a normal year, I like to purchase just a few items, then wait for post-Labor-Day sales to complete shopping for their back-to-school wardrobe. However, both of my boys were really in need of jeans and khakis that fit them — we bought none last year, as a good portion of their school-at-home days were spent in sweats and pajama pants!

When we went to the store, however, we found that the sales at many of our area department stores were quite good — name-brand jeans up to 40% off, with many school-appropriate shirts in the $7 to $10 range as well. My youngest son immediately began scanning each store’s website and apps for additional coupons to further drop what we were spending, and he was excited to find a 25%-off coupon for one department store and a 30%-off coupon for another. While my sons have never particularly enjoyed shopping for school clothes, they quickly made a game out of what the clothes would have cost us at full price versus what we paid — a life lesson that is appropriate for students of any age!