Moms Q&A: Back to School Shopping Strategies

Moms Talk is a new feature on Patch that is part of a new initiative on our sites to reach out to moms and families. Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in the East Windsor-Hightstown-Cranbury area. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council — Susan Masone, Siri Heinrichs, Cristina Fowler, Christine O'Brien and our intrepid columnist Lauren Kim — takes your questions, gives advice and shares solutions to the problems vexing all of us. Have a question you would like to share, or just want to provide your opinion on the question of the week? Head over to the comments section to do just that. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with the following question:

What is your approach for back to school shopping? Do you stick to a budget or use any cost-cutting measures?

Christine O’Brien: I try to start my shopping early to take advantage of summer sales. My son’s elementary school usually includes a standard supply list with the year-end report card, so I have something to work with.

I also keep a large plastic tote filled with basic items purchased on clearance (usually before Halloween or Thanksgiving). This tote is especially handy mid-school year when the kids begin to run out of certain supplies. However, the shopping is never completed until after the first day of school. The kids always come home with requests for additional items. Thankfully, that list is usually short. We are not sure what to expect with our daughter starting high school!

Susan Masone: In the middle of the summer, Staples was running a $.01 sale. I picked up as much as I could knowing that I would have too many glue sticks or pencils, but I knew they would not go to waste. My neighbor has found other sales, and we exchange our excess. I don’t purchase all supplies until after the beginning of the school year...not knowing exactly what each individual teacher wants. When all is said and done, I donate the excess to our Girl Scout troops, school and church. Someone is always looking for school supplies at different times of the year.

Lauren Kim: This summer, I kept the school supply shopping list from my daughters’ school in my pocketbook. That way, whenever I found a sale, I could use the list to pick up what my daughters needed and cross off items once I purchased them.

I recently hit the buy one get one half off sale at Payless and bought both my daughters a new pair of school shoes. I was able to get an extra 20% off (on top of getting one pair of shoes at 50% off) because I had a coupon. The sale runs through September 6, so I might go back and get them each another pair of school shoes.

Payless is now also offering a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 on its website. With kids’ shoes generally running between $10 and $20, I figure both my daughters another pair of shoes for only $25 total.

I plan to go through my daughters’ closets soon to figure out what fall clothing they need and what they already have. (So I don’t overspend on items that we don’t need.) My girls have lots of short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, so I have a feeling that we will only need to buy them a few pairs of pants for the school year. I bought their fall and winter jackets big last year (I generally buy them roomier than they need to be, so I get two seasons out of them), so we shouldn’t need to buy new ones this year.

Also, I’m not into buying my kids overly expensive brand-name or super trendy clothes (and so far, they don’t notice such things), so I save money there.

Before every school year, it’s been a tradition for us to go out shopping together. When we go, I let each girl pick out two new school outfits. It works out for me, because they usually like to pick out fancy outfits like a dress or a top and a skirt, so that way, they have something nice to wear when they need it, and on top of that, they like the outfits because they are something they picked out themselves. They usually wear the outfits they picked out the first two days of school, which is perfect for getting those first-day-of-school photos.

Siri Heinrichs: I am not a fan of back to school shopping. Stores are crowded and often low on supplies by the time I get there. That being said, I am always observing cost-cutting measures. I try to buy things only when they are on sale, and if I can also use a coupon, that's even better! I also believe in purchasing quality items rather than spending a quick buck on something that won't last (ie, on backpacks and lunch bags — I went through Lands End instead of searching locally for the cheapest ones possible).

I also like to buy generic items if I can, so that, assuming they stand up to the test of time, they can be used by multiple children over the course of several years. We are very fortunate that we receive hand-me-down clothes from various friends, so I generally don't have a lot of clothes shopping to do. I make one exception, and that is that that I let my girls pick out whatever they want (within reason of course) to wear on the first day of school. I like them to be excited about school, and if that helps, great!