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4 Must-Try Ways to Save Money When Shopping for a New School Year

August 28, 2017 by Kathryn 19 Comments

Brought to you by Interac Association and TheCo.

With two school-aged boys and a newborn in the house, I’ve expressed quite a bit how important it is for me to stay organized as the new school year kicks off. But saving money on my budget is every bit as important to me right now…especially with the extra expenses a baby brings!

So, to help other parents on their quest to save a little more during the back-to-school season, I’m sharing my four best tips for making the most of your money when preparing for a new school year. While some take a little bit of work, the savings make the effort well worth it!

boys back-to-school photo

DIY to Make the Old New Again

One of the best things about the new school year for a child is getting to show off all the bright, shiny new school supplies to friends. But often, a quick wash will have last year’s supplies looking great and ready to work for another year. Of course, it’s sometimes hard to explain to a younger child that there’s no need to purchase everything new.

So how do you get your child excited about last year’s school gear? Put a little DIY creativity to work! Last year’s binders and pencil box can easily be given a kid-friendly makeover with some dollar-store stickers. And an inexpensive roll of washi tape is a great way to personalize pencils and pens.

ben decorating school suppliies

Have school supplies that are too worn to be reused? Don’t throw them out just yet! Bits of broken crayon can be melted into fun rainbow crayons for Valentine’s Day gifts, rubber bands can be wrapped up into wacky bouncing balls and pencil crayons can be cut into colourful beads for jewelry!

Price Match Through Your Shopping List

Let’s face facts: every parent knows that they could save a lot of money shopping for school supplies by running to four or five different stores and grabbing the best deals at each one. But most parents just don’t have time for that, and I’m one of them!

Instead, I arm myself with flyers (or save online flyers to my phone), and then head to a store that price-matches with its competitors to grab the supplies I need. Price-matching occasionally does take a bit of extra time at the till, but it’s still much more convenient than running around to different stores. And the savings make it worth the extra few minutes of work!

To make my shopping experience even more convenient, I always pay using Interac Flash® on my debit card. Rather than fumbling for change or worrying about punching in my PIN, I can just briefly hold my card over the terminal to instantly process my payment. It’s simple, secure and makes my day a little easier!

Invest in Quality…Sometimes

There are times when buying the cheapest school gear available is a great strategy and times when it really is worth the extra few dollars to buy a quality product. As long as a pencil writes well and a ruler is straight and clearly marked, the price doesn’t matter. So, making inexpensive choices just makes sense.

But for school gear like backpacks, shoes and electronics, spending the extra few dollars will ensure that your purchases make it through the whole year and sometimes for years after as well. For example, last year, I sent one child to school with a high-quality backpack and the other with a budget backpack featuring a superhero.

benjamin school shoes

Before Christmas, the fun, colourful superhero image had ripped off the front of my youngest son’s backpack. By the end of the year, the backpack was full of holes and barely functional. Similarly, any time I’ve tried to buy inexpensive indoor shoes for school, the shoes have come home with rips, holes or broken pieces…sometimes after only a few months!

That’s why I now look for warranties and quality when it comes to somewhat pricier items. I splurged on a $25 computer headset for my oldest son in Grade 2 instead of a $10 budget option, and four years later, it still works perfectly. And by choosing items with guarantees and warranties, I know I won’t have sudden expenses halfway through the year if items do suddenly break.

Get Kids Involved in the Budget

When kids get a little older, they tend to get a little pickier when it comes to the brands and styles of their clothes and school gear. Letting them express their individuality is great, but don’t let your wallet take a hit as a result!

walmart school supplies

Instead, set a budget for school supply shopping and let your kids help allocate the money in a way that works for them. Your son may be happy in thrift-shop clothing, but want to splurge on a brand-name binder. Or your daughter may be happy doing some DIY creations to save on supplies so that she can buy that one trendy dress she’s been coveting.

Either way, letting kids take an active part in the back-to-school spending doesn’t just ensure they’ll love their gear. It also helps your children learn about the importance of budgeting and how it can help them prioritize their purchases. And by paying with your INTERAC® Debit card using Interac Flash, you’re also helping your kids learn that they should have the money to pay for their purchases right away…not rely on credit.

Personally, I’ve found that over the years, saving money on school supply shopping is one of those things that’s gone from a cumbersome chore to a fun challenge for me. It’s amazing how satisfying it can be to see how much I can save when going through that endless list of school supplies.

Get started on your own saving spree with these tips, and see what other techniques you can use to help you save as much as possible getting your kids stocked up for the new school year. Once you see the extra money in your bank account come September, you may want to start your own yearly saving challenge too!

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post; however, all opinions expressed here are my own. Interac and Interac Flash are registered trade-marks of Interac Inc. Used under license.

Filed Under: Articles, Money Tagged With: back to school, back to school shopping, back-to-school saving, back-to-school shopping tips, budget, interac, interac flash, save, save money, save on school shopping, save on school supplies, school budget, school shopping, school shopping budget, school shopping tips, school supplies, school supply budget, shopping, tips

Stock Up on Back To School Essentials at Walmart Canada

August 9, 2014 by Kathryn 2 Comments

Believe it or not, summer is almost over and kids will soon be heading back to school. And this year, my youngest son will be in Kindergarten, which means both boys will be attending full days of school for the first time! While Benjamin will only attend every other day, having both boys in school all day is going to be a big change for me. But even with two long lists of school supplies to purchase, back-to-school won’t be too hard on my budget thanks to all the great deals currently available at Walmart Canada!

walmart back to school deals

Recently I received a $50 gift card so that I could do some back to school shopping and see for myself what kind of deals the store is offering. And there are tons of them! From packages of Crayola crayons for just twenty-five cents to exercise books for just five cents, there are so many great deals that will have kids and parents both excited about heading back to school. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: back to school, school, school supplies, supplies, walmart, walmart back to school, walmart canada, walmart sale, walmart school supplies

Three Tips for Keeping Your Kids’ School Gear Secure this September #LSSS

July 1, 2014 by Kathryn 26 Comments

Summer vacation may have just begun, but I like to get prepared for the next school year early so that I can enjoy the summer stress-free. For me, part of back-to-school preparation means helping my boys keep their gear safe at school and fortunately, with a little help from Master Lock, that’s no problem at all! In this video, I cover my top three tips for helping to keep gear secure at school!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Parenting Tagged With: back to school, back to school tips, gear, live secure, live secure safety squad, lock, lsss, master, master lock, safety squad, school, school gear, school supplies, supplies

Back to School Supplies for Two Boys for $100 in the #WalmartFrugalHeroes Challenge

August 28, 2013 by Kathryn 22 Comments

Getting kids ready for going back to school is expensive. There’s just no other way of putting it. In addition to new fall clothes, backpacks, footwear and lunch gear, there’s that intimidating list of back-to-school supplies. Fortunately, this year Walmart Canada gave me the chance to see for myself just how reasonable its prices were when they challenged me to take part in the Walmart Frugal Heroes Challenge and get all the back-to-school gear for my boys for under $100. It was not going to be an easy task. Zackary’s list alone was intimidating. But I was up for the challenge and I headed into the store sure that I would accomplish my mission.

back to school supply list
The List.

Now one of the things that I am a little bit of a stickler about is getting high quality art supplies. I remember when I was a child sometimes using pencil crayons or markers that weren’t the Crayola supplies the rest of my classmates had, and they never seemed to last as long, sharpen as easily or colour as brightly. So when it comes to those school supplies, I pay more and don’t fret about the cost. Fortunately, that’s not even necessary at Walmart! The 24-count boxes of Crayola pencil crayons I needed were just one dollar and the 24-count boxes of Crayola crayons were only 65 cents! Now that’s great value!

logitech headset
The Headset.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: back to school, challenge, frugal, frugal heroes, heroes, school, school supplies, shopping, walmart, walmart canada, walmartfrugalheroes

Scan School Papers and Documents On the Go with the Epson WorkForce DS-30 Portable Scanner-Giveaway

August 22, 2013 by Kathryn 180 Comments

It always amazes me how quickly summer flies by and back-to-school season arrives, but I have to admit, I can’t help but get excited when I see all the fun new school supplies start to arrive in the stores! From crayons and notebooks to laptop computers, all kinds of products are hitting the shelves! This year, Epson Canada has some fabulous items to help keep life organized when heading back to school. Here are three of my favourites:

epson labelworks lw-300Epson LabelWorks LW-300 Label Printer

For most students, cleaning and organization is not a priority! The Epson LabelWorks™ LW-300 is the perfect tool for anyone hoping to keep some semblance of order. With hundreds of fonts, decorative designs, and framing options to choose from, this label printer makes it easy to keep track of all your belongings.

epson workforce ds-30 scannerEpson WorkForce DS-30 Portable Scanner

Scanning class notes, textbook pages or assignments has never been easier with the Epson WorkForce DS-30 scanner. This lightweight portable scanner is perfect for the busy student. The WorkForce DS-30 scanner delivers full-function flexibility, scanning textbook receipts, documents up to 8.5-inches x 14-inches, and more right into an e-mail, or searchable PDF.

epson small in one 410 printerEpson Expression Home XP-410 Small-in-One Printer

With its sleek, space-saving design, the new Epson Expression Home XP-410 is perfect for students living in tight quarters. This small and budget-friendly printer features a 2.5-inch LCD touch panel and built-in card slots, making it easy to print photos, notepaper, timetables and more without using a PC.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: back to school, ds-30, ds-30 scanner, epson, epson canada, epson scanner, epson scanners, epson workforce, epson workforce ds-30, portable, portable scanner, scanner, scanner review, school, school supplies, supplies, workforce

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