Back to School Savings

I hesitate to even mention school in the summer, especially since school doesn't start for another month.  However, deals are cropping up and it's best to shop the sales at this pricey time of year.  Here are some tips for saving money while shopping for school supplies.

• Shop the sales.  While I won't go to a store only because it has the lowest price on a particular item (gotta factor in gas), I'll go if it's a nearby store and I have other shopping to do there.
• Price match at  Walmart.  Save your weekly circulars and have Walmart match the price on good deals.
• Generic is often cheaper, but the quality isn't always as good.  I guess that's why some schools specify what brand of markers, etc.  For example, I've found that RoseArt's "washable" markers really aren't that washable and generic glue sticks usually aren't as good as Elmers.  (But if your school doesn't specify, go with the best deal.)
• See if you can reuse items.  My son is reusing his pencil box, scissors, backpack and lunch bag from last year.
• Wait a few weeks after school has started for clearanced items.  This works best for backpacks and lunch bags.  Make do the first few weeks with the items from last year.  I've found that supplies like crayons, markers, etc., are cheaper during the back-to-school sales...they aren't always clearanced.
• Shop garage sales for backpacks.  I picked up a Jansport backpack for a great deal a year ago.  It still has a few years of usage left in it.

FYI:  This week, Kmart has 24 ct. Crayola crayons for 25 cents, thin and thick Crayola markers for $1 (non-washable), Expo dry erase marker 2 pk. for $1.50, and Crayola colored pencils for $1.