Now that the kids are home for the summer, let’s talk about Back to School. Believe it or not, it’s a great time to be thinking about what happens when the pool is closed and the kids are heading back to classes.

Back to school shopping can be a pain year after year. And with all the cool gadgets and gizmos, school supplies can get pricey. In 2017 Offers.com did a survey over parents in back to school shopping and “discovered that the average American spends $208.10 on back to school shopping for each child”. If you want to get ahead of the game before August rolls around, then we have some school shopping tips for you!

Tips and tricks to make back to school a breeze

• Make a list for each child and use last years expenses as a guide.
• Spread clothing purchases out during the year so your kids don’t outgrow them.
• Know when it’s important to spend more for better quality items. Fifty cent notebooks won’t matter, but cheap clothing will wear quickly meaning and you’ll most likely have to buy more.
• Surf Back to School deals conveniently online with Amazon.

Many stores offer low priced back to school savings during certain times and keeping an eye for the deals could save you money.

One of the best deals around is Tax-Free weekend. It’s the biggest back to school savings opportunity of the year and many states participate! Each state has different dates and qualifications. Check out Passion for savings’ website for a complete list of all states you can go to for a tax-free weekend full of shopping.

Retail locations have not yet released their back to school savings sales but in the meantime, you can check out last year’s ad for the top stores to get an idea on what the retail prices will be.

Where you shop matters

The majority of back to school shoppers still prefer shopping at a physical retail location and for those brick and mortar shoppers out there, MoneyPantry gives a full list of the best locations to hit up this year.

• Michaels
  Sometimes, arts and craft supplies from here can be pricey, but if you look online, you may be able to score a 40% off coupon.
• Walmart
  If you can handle the crowd (especially on ttax-free weekend) then Walmart is a great option. Most often they will have the cheapest price for your basic supplies.
• Walgreens
  They have a loyalty program which offers a large sum of coupons in store. This combined with their special back to school pricing could make for a good school savings destination.
• Staples
  While office supply stores are generally more expensive than their big box competitors, Staples has something that most retailers don’t. They offer a 110% price match guarantee. This means if you find the same notebook at Walmart for a dollar less, staples will match it and take an additional 10% off the difference.
• Best Buy
  This is a great place to shop for the tech items on your back to school list. If you go at the right time, Best Buy will offer $100 off iPads, MacBooks, or iMacs with proof of a student ID.
• Dollar Stores
  Most people don’t think about this one, but in reality, they have some of the best prices year-round. If you want to be proactive in your shopping, getting a few things from the Dollar Stores such as your local Dollar General and Dollar Tree won’t hurt.
• S. School Supply
  If you have friends that are also back to school shopping for their kids, U.S. School Supply sells bulk deals on any school related item. For example, a 12 pack of 3-ring binders costs only $24.95 on their website.

If you’re shopping for back to school and realize that you need a little extra cash to help prepare for bigger purchases, a LendingPoint loan may be a great option.

Even if your credit score is lower than you would like it to be, you do have personal loan options. A personal loan can even help improve your credit score. By taking out one of our personal loans. you can make affordable monthly payments and build your credit story by making on-time payments each month. As you continue to make your payments on-time, you build your credibility and your credit history.Apply today!