The Top 5 Ways to Save on Back to School Shopping
You’ve just received an impossibly long list of supplies from school and your kids have grown out of most of their clothes. Back to School shopping is a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean it has to cost a fortune. Trae Bodge, Smart Shopping Expert for Gift Card Granny, shares her advice on how to save money on everything your kids need for school.
Sock away the savings
The Swoup app partners with retailers like Walgreens to help you save on all your back to school shopping. The money you save is automatically applied to an existing student loan or college fund, and you can even get family members in on the game by funneling their Swoup savings into your child’s fund! And anyone who downloads Swoup, links their bank account and existing student loan(s) and/or 529 plan, they will be entered for a chance to have Swoup contribute $500 to one of their education-based goals.
Save on snacks and lunches
Rather than rifling through newspaper circulars for coupons, try the Checkout51 app instead. Checkout 51 is a free mobile app that works with hundreds of brands to give you cash back on the grocery items you already buy.Every Thursday Checkout 51 will update the app with new cash back offers for you. Take a photo of your receipt with one of those purchased offers and Checkout 51 will deposit cash back into your account. Once you earn $20, you can cash out!
If there’s not a sale
No sale? Never fear! Use a site like Gift Card Granny to look for discounted gift cards. By shopping for back to school with a discounted gift card for Target, Walmart, or wherever else you plan to shop, you’ll automatically save between 2-30%, sale or no sale. If you’re a student or teacher, check out their list of retailers who offer discounts if you show your school i.d!
Stay in Touch
Your kids are clamoring for a smartphone, and you want to stay in touch while they explore their independence. But… you’re simply not ready to fork over a pile of money for a spanking new phone and pricey monthly plan. Mint Mobile is a SIM card that works with refurbished or unlocked phones and plans start at 3 months of Mint Service for just $15 per month, which include 2GB of data (5GB is $20 per month and 10GB of data is $25 per month). This is a great way for you to hand down your old phone and give kids the connectivity they want.
Those darn glasses!
According to the CDC, more than 30% of boys and girls ages 10-17 need corrective eyewear! With the national average of eye glasses + lenses at $150, you know this is not sustainable for your kids – especially if they are prone to losing or breaking things! Thankfully, there are affordable online platforms, like Discount Glasses.com, where there are lots of stylish options starting at $6.95 with lenses, which is more like it! They even have progressive lenses, photochromic lenses…the works.
Happy shopping!
