Save money on back to school shopping: School supplies cost-cutters for parents

Back to School--how retailers love those three words. Back to school is as big a holiday for stores as Black Friday! But for kids and parents, back to school shopping is stressful, reported Business Wire. Here are money-saving mama's BTS cost-cutters for parents. Get budget back to school bargains that bust stress and make BTS shopping fun.

Do. Not. Be. Upsold. Stores love to guilt parents with long lists of school supplies your kids supposedly can't survive school without. Now, I'll admit, I love BTS shopping. What's not to love about $.25 crayons and scissors? But this money-saving mama is also a teacher. She knows kids don't need half the stuff stores pad the list with. Use this tightwad teacher's BTS shopping guide to skip the BS and save instead of spend money.

Wait for the teacher's school supplies list. Before school starts, you should get a welcome packet or email either from school, teacher or both. Shop from that. Don't buy till you see the list. You can stock up on obviously cheap supplies you know you'll need, but wait on specifics.

Find out what you really need. Our youngest daughter went to a charter school a few years ago. The school wanted us to buy a plethora of over-priced school supplies: color printer paper ($10 for 50 sheets compared to $4 for 500 white sheets), colored sticky notes, costly art supplies, Expo markers, North Face back pack, hand sanitizer, tissues. Teachers didn't even have room to store it all.

Find out what the school provides. After paying $16 for four "special" notebooks kids were "required" to have, the teacher told me he had plenty and I shouldn't have bought them. I said he should he shouldn't have included them in the list.

You choose what to supply the school. That colored paper the school wanted was just to pretty-up notes home (which ended up in the recycling anyway). We requested email updates but school preferred to waste trees (and our money). I refused to buy colored paper. Finally, they went to email.

Don't provide shared stuff. Call me cheap but I don't want to pay so other kids can waste. Subbing in the schools, I got a rude awakening about how supplies were used. Kids played with those expensive sticky notes. They broke the costly art pencils, threw erasers, wasted hand sanitizer and tissues. Send your child with personal tissues and hand sanitizer. You have more control over how much she uses than you do over how the class uses it.

Attend back to school freebie events. Communities and churches are getting on board to help parents with school supplies. Watch the newspaper or school website. Don't be ashamed to take free stuff you qualify to receive. These back to school events are real blessings for parents.

Buy school supplies you can afford. Don't let anyone railroad or shame you into paying more. Look for bargains. I got a $150 North Face backpack for $69 on sale at Amazon. I paid only $21 for it, using Swagbucks rewards coupons and Amazon VISA perks.

How I Save 50%-75% on Back to School Shopping with Credit Cards

Credit cards get a bad rap, but financial gurus tout them as a way to build credit. I pinch pennies so tight that I make Jack Benny look like a spendthrift. Even this fru-gal mom of four gives credit cards a thumbs up. Here's how to save money and teach your children valuable financial lessons with using credit cards. Use this guide for back to school shopping.

Use credit cards in moderation. It's like the oft-misquoted Bible maxim: "Money is the root of all evil." The correct passage says, "the love of money is the root of all evil." The plastic isn't the problem, it's the misuse. Set a good example for children by spending in moderation. How This Penny-Pinching Mom Saves Money with Credit Cards

How a Mom of Four Saves 80 Percent on Back to School Shopping

Labor Day means children return to school. It also means back to school shopping. The Detroit News reported that parents would be spending more this year on BTS shopping--roughly $688 per child with clothing and school supplies. If you haven't finished shopping, don't worry. I've raised four children; here are dos and don'ts to save 80 percent on school supplies and clothing.

* Don't fall for all the back to school marketing ploys. Take advantage of sales, but wait to find out what your child's teacher actually requires. Take it from a teacher, many store school supply lists trick you into buying things you don't need. For the rest of the list, click here... How a Mom of Four Saves 80 Percent on Back to School Shopping 

Back to School Shopping--Comfortable, Modest Dress, Skirt Styles with Leggings

Modesty is a big word in girls' back to school fashions. Is the skirt too short? Does the dress length reach below the finger tips? Many skirt and dress buying considerations for parents? Here's a cute, comfortable style that allows girls to wear skirts regardless of length. Many schools, public and parochial, require girls to wear skirts and shorts that reach below the fingertips when the arms are placed along the side of the body. This guideline has been implemented by school authorities to prevent girls wearing short skirts, dresses and shorts that show off private areas when the child bends or stoops. Back to School Shopping: Comfortable, Modest Dress and Skirt Styles with Leggings

Educational Back to School, Homeschool Toy Reviews for Parents

Written for 2011 Cyber Monday, this article provides great tips for homeschool parent back-to-school shopping. Traditional school families will also find great tips on  educational toy-buying. This penny-pinching mom starts her Christmas shopping in July to get early-bird and avoid the holiday chaos.

Here are parent-to-parent toy, craft, book, game and puzzle reviews for Cyber Week bargain-hunting. Parents' Choice tests and reviews new toy products. Toys are rated on quality of construction, concept and educational merit. The best toys and children's activities are awarded gold, silver, bronze or recommended status. Parents' Choice gold medal awards for this year are: Playmobil Secret Agent Headquarters play set, Bear in Tree Stump puppet, HaPe's Furnished All Season Dollhouse, Educo's Discovery Spaceship and Lift-off Rocket and Wooden Building Set: Four Elements. Gold medal games and puzzles include Block Builders, Richard Scarry's Busytown Busy, Busy Airport game, City Square Off and Dabble. Cyber Week Toy Reviews for Parents 

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