A short plan for how to get what the kids need is better than no plan
Published Aug 31, 2023 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 4 minute read
Back-to-school supplies in a store in Toronto. Photo by Cole Burston/The Canadian Press files One of the biggest annual expenses for parents is paying for what their kids need to go back to school. But with the first day of classes next week, the back-to-school shopping season is coming to an end before many families have been able to partake and comes at a time when household budgets are stretched to the max and living costs remain high.
Many families have left shopping for gear, clothing and school supplies until the last minute, but even a short plan for how to get what the kids need is better than no plan, and there are ways to get the biggest bang for your buck when back-to-school shopping at the last minute.
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Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. Article content First, avoid aimlessly shopping for what your kids want. Make sure you have an accurate school supply list before buying or clicking on anything. Contact the school, check the website, reach out to teachers or ask your child to message a friend to get the list. This will also help determine if you need to buy all the supplies or give the classroom teacher money towards supplies.
Some teachers prefer to buy essentials in bulk so they know that each student has the basics they’ll need. This substantially reduces what you need to shop for, but keep the amount you need to pay the teacher in mind so that you don’t leave yourself short.
Once you know what each of your children needs, shop at home first. Get your kids to help find anything left over from last year – backpacks, binders, coloured pencils, notebooks and paper, gym clothes, etc. Match up what you have with what’s on each kid’s supply list and cross off anything you don’t need to buy again.
Recycle and reuse whatever you can: for example, you can hand down sports clothes to a sibling or remove the few used pages in a notebook to make it seem new. Assign one kid to sharpen all the pencil crayons and another to test all the felt pens. Then make a set for each kid to take to school and/or keep at home for use while doing projects and homework. The fewer items your kids need to schlep back and forth between school and home, the less likely things will get lost along the way.
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Article content With a pared-down list, talk to your kids about needs versus wants. This is a great time to share with them that you’ve got a budget, and you’d like their help in deciding what to buy within the available funds. This keeps the focus on what you can buy versus what’s unaffordable. You might be surprised by how little your kids truly need and want once they know the budgetary parameters. It’s also a great opportunity for working teens to chip in to help buy any brand-name items they want.
The danger with shopping at the last minute is feeling the crunch and not wanting to miss out. Avoid impulse buying by shopping with your agreed-upon list. Whether online or in person, allow your child to cross off what goes into the cart. If an item is sold out and they don’t need it right away, resist buying an expensive alternative rather than waiting until it’s back in stock.
In age-appropriate ways, talk about quality versus quantity and generic versus name brand as you make buying decisions. Teach your kids how to be savvy comparison shoppers and how to make wise financial choices. Take advantage of your captive audience; their interest level will be high, and the lessons are practical and relevant when the shopping pertains directly to them.
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You can also organize a clothing swap with friends and neighbours. Set it up in a garage or talk to your school or local library. Come up with small incentives to encourage participation: for example, those who donate gently used items get a coupon for first dibs on swap day. Everyone is facing the same high costs right now, so you’ll likely have enthusiastic participation. Expand the swap to include sports gear, musical instruments and other specialized school supplies such as calculators or supplies for art and science classes if there’s enough demand for older students.
Recommended from Editorial When should you start CPP? What to do if your mortgage is coming up for renewal Not all pensions are created equally, so choose wisely The one caveat for school shopping is that the selection for the basics, and often prices, is best at this time of year. For the stuff that kids run out of, break or lose, keep a few extras at home so you can replenish their supplies. Keep them out of reach and dole them out only as necessary.
Back-to-school shopping doesn’t have to mean buying everything new and there is a lot that kids don’t need for the first day. In many parts of the country, the weather in September is still nice enough to wear summer favourites with one new hoodie. Take your time to source the clothing and gear your kids need for fall, and take advantage of sales and availability in second-hand stores. Kids need stuff throughout the year and new gear, sports equipment or electronics make great holiday and birthday gifts too.
Sandra Fry is a Winnipeg-based credit counsellor at Credit Counselling Society, a non-profit organization that has helped Canadians manage debt for more than 26 years.