September is just around the corner, and like every year, it’s time to buy the necessary school materials so that our children can do all their activities from the very first day of class. We tell you some methods to save money on the return to school.
At school, they often give parents a long list of materials needed for the entire school year. That list, added to the textbooks, can be at the beginning one of the great expenses of the month of September.
However, you can try to save on the purchase of all of these materials. In this article we give you some tips so that the return to school doesn’t come out so expensive.
Purchase second hand
As you know, textbooks are the biggest expense you’ll have to face. However, there are several solutions that you can choose to save some money.
One method for this is not to buy them brand new, but to buy them second hand, either through the internet in a second-hand portal or to buy them from kids who are in more advanced grades that no longer need them.
Another option is to inherit the books. Surely there are siblings or cousins who have already gone through the school year in which your child enters and can reuse their books, provided they are the same and the center has not decided to change them.
Reuse material
Every children like to use everything for the first time when they start school: backpack, pencil case, notebooks, markers, etc. However, this isn’t necessary, and specially if we want to save a little money.
It would be recommendable that you take advantage of everything that can be reused from the previous school year. It doesn’t make any sense to buy a box of new markers if those from last year still work. It is a good idea to have a new pack of markers saved to replace those colours that stop working.
Also, make sure of the quality of the new school supplies you buy. It is useless to buy very cheap materials if you are going to have to change them very often, because in the end you will spend more money.
Sell the books of the previous course
If your child has already gone through previous school years, surely you have a lot of books at home that you will not use anymore, unless you have a smaller child, in this case you should save those textbooks to take advantage of them.
If that is not your case, there are many other children who will need those books, so take the opportunity. Get in touch with their mothers or put an ad on the internet to sell them and get some extra money.
School clothes
If it’s required to wear a uniform in your children’s school, you can save some money by looking for second-hand stores or previous students to buy them. Even, as we have said before, study the possibility of inheriting it from a cousin or older brother.
If you do not have a uniform, make a list of the items that you will need this new school year: sportswear, jeans, various shirts, several pairs of shoes, etc. You can compare prices in different stores before deciding where to buy them. Decide exactly what you are going to buy, and always look for the best offer.
Another option is to take advantage of the discounts that you will surely find online. Surely by applying all this you will save a considerable amount.
Scholarships, grants and subsidies
Finally, find out about the possible scholarships, grants and subsidies that you can request in your city. In many towns and cities they may offer different scholarships to help buy school supplies, which is undoubtedly a great way to save money.
With all these tips you can make the return to school a lot cheaper, and without spending a fortune on school supplies for your children to have a good education because, after all, what It matters that our children learn!
