Back-to-School Shopping: What Are the True Essentials?

Besides setting up carpool, signing up for sports teams and music lessons, one of the most important parts of back-to-school preparation is, of course, shopping. Nothing is worse than having your kid come home on the first day of school crying because they didn’t have the red pen or yellow highlighter that they needed.

So, Moms and Dads, here are some tips on make sure you’re ready with the supplies your kids actually need for another school year. It all starts with the teacher’s list.

Check What You Already Have:

First things first: consider what you already have in the house. You’ll be surprised how much is likely sitting on shelves or tucked away in closets! Mini staplers, sticky notes, and seven different colored pens…those are the type of items that probably didn’t get used too many times last year (if at all). If you have any questions whether something on the list is a suggestion or a recommendation, double check with the teacher before you make the investment.

Get the Essentials:

Invest in the essentials. If you’re going to buy new items, focus on highly used supplies such as pencils, pens, and washable markers (“washable” being the key word). It’s still important that kids have binders and folders. The more they organize at school, the less you have to re-organize. Kids may also need a new lunchbox or backpack, but probably not if you just got a new one last year.

Back to School Wardrobe:

Once the supplies are gathered, it’s time for the second half of school shopping-clothes and shoes. Kids are constantly growing, so there’s not much wiggle room here-literally.

The idea here is the same: stick with the basics. Soft cotton tees, jeans (plenty of them!), leggings, socks, undies, and hoodies for those chilly days are some of the most used items. And of course, one good pair of “go-with-anything” sneakers is always a smart buy. Depending on where you live, it’s pretty important to get at least one heavy jacket, as well.

Look for Savings:

Now that you have all the essentials on your shopping list, be sure to take some time looking into back-to-school coupons and special offerings to really maximize the savings. Good luck, and let the countdown until school begin!