6 Tips to Help You Save on Back-to-School Shopping

Back-to-school shopping has long been a rite of passage for families as you all anticipate selecting the new must-have tech, fresh school supplies and the perfect first-day-of-school outfit. While it’s always been an exciting time, it can also come with a dose of anxiety for many parents, as purchasing the gear you need can potentially put a significant dent in your family budget.

This year may feel even more daunting than usual, due to concerns about the economy in general, and tariffs in particular, threaten to create price fluctuations and possible shortages.

“While tariffs are constantly changing, what we do know is that prices on many of the items we’ll need for back-to-school will be higher than we’ve come to expect,” says Trae Bodge, s smart shopping Expert at truetrae.com. “Also, because of the early drama with the tariffs, retailers held back on ordering from abroad, so expect some empty shelves.”

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Back-to-School survey, shoppers are “sharpening pencils and their budgets” as many parents are focusing on picking up only the essentials. As you watch your wallet, Bodge says creative savings tactics are more crucial than ever. Here are six tips to try.

6 Tips to Help You Save on Back-to-School Shopping

1. Shop your home first

Before you put anything on your back-to-school shopping list, check your own closets, desk drawers and discarded backpacks—you might have more on hand than you remember. Do you need to buy scissors every year? You may find another potential goldmine in the form of extra office supplies you accumulated while working remotely, which you can redirect to the classroom.

Then, move on to clothes. Have your children stage a fashion show with everything in their closets so you can see whether those jeans they barely wore last year still fit. While you don’t want to buy items you don’t need, you also don’t want to find out you need a whole new fall wardrobe just after a fantastic sale ends.

If one of your kids has outgrown some outfits, don’t be too quick to donate them if you have younger children. Consider that special occasion outfits and winter clothing don’t change styles significantly (and often don’t get much wear) so it’s fine keep them on hand to pass down to a sibling. In fact, this is a good time to check if you had done that in the past and make sure those saved items get worn.

2. Scour often for discounts

By signing up for your favorite retailers’ emails, you’ll get alerts for upcoming sales so you can plan accordingly. To avoid inbox overload, filter them into one folder you can quickly search by brand. Or create a free email account you use solely for promotional emails. If you’re offered a sign-up bonus, save it for a larger purchase.

Scrolling through brands’ social media accounts will also keep you updated on the latest discounts and promotions or flash sales. You also might consider signing up for text alerts that can yield on-the-spot savings. “Find additional savings by using deal sites, like CouponCabin,” says Bodge, who recommends installing CouponCabin’s Sidekick browser plugin so you’ll be automatically alerted to available savings.

Even if you prefer making your purchases at a brick-and-mortar location, take a second to compare the cost to what you see online. Some items might be priced differently on the brand’s various channels—and Bodge points out that many stores will also price match. “Ask for the price match at the time of purchase if you find the same item cheaper elsewhere,” she says.

3. Get paid to shop

If you’re going to be spending money anyway, you might as well be rewarded for it. On cash-back shopping portals such as Ibotta or Rakuten, you can choose the brands you’re interested in and shop as you normally would. You’ll automatically earn rebates that you can redeem for cash or gift cards. Other apps like Fetch allow you to earn points you can redeem for gift cards by scanning receipts.

Many stores also offer rewards in the form of future discounts when you shop during specified time periods. Amass the dividends and set a reminder to redeem them in the future.

If you’re planning to use a credit card, check your provider for exclusive deals, Bodge says. “Also, make sure you use a credit card that allows you to earn cash back when you shop. Cash back is an easy way to save, and you can apply your earnings toward your bill.”

4. Time your purchases carefully

Most retailers are likely to be pulling out all the stops to lure shoppers in, so you may be able to score significant savings. But you need to be strategic about when you click “purchase.” Bodge points to sites like CamelCamelCamel (exclusive to Amazon) and PayPal’s Honey to track an item’s price history to identify the ideal time to buy, helping to ensure you don’t miss a big drop.

Once school starts, you’ll often see another round of price reductions. By then you’ll know more clearly what you actually need, and you can verify that your kids’ “must buy” items are on trend among their friends. However, given the possibility of supply chain interruptions, have your child prioritize what’s most important to them and consider purchasing when you see a decent price, rather than waiting and potentially missing out on a definite favorite.

The Deloitte survey confirmed that parents are on board with this strategy, with over half mentioning they’d be willing to splurge on a first-day-of-school outfit.

Save all your receipts as some stores may make a price adjustment if the item you bought eventually goes on sale within a certain time limit. If you do need to make a return, watch the dates carefully: Many retailers have dramatically tightened their policies on this practice, such as reducing the eligible time frame to 30 days from the purchase date.

5. Combine your efforts

Buying in bulk can be a great way to save. But while you probably don’t need a huge quantity of glue sticks or notebooks, other families will also need a few, and you can all split the savings. This works well with snacks, too, especially those variety packs where your child’s favorite could be the one everyone else snubs.

Another option is to swap gently used items that your kids no longer need, such as sports equipment from a long-abandoned activity, a class-specific graphing calculator, outgrown school uniforms, or other clothes and gear, in exchange for these extra items you’ll need. One person’s post-violin-playing era trash might be your new-music-loving-child’s treasure.

6. Try before you buy

On that note, it’s pretty common for a kid to go all-in on an activity, and parents appreciate the benefits they bring. According to the Deloitte survey, 90% of respondents say they plan to enroll their children in an extracurricular, expecting to spend an average of $532 per child.

Yet because fickle kids may abandon their newfound interest after a time, before investing in a musical instrument or hockey skates, ask if you can borrow from the school or a sponsoring facility first—or perhaps consider renting what you need for a trial period. This will also help your child figure out which equipment features they like or dislike before you purchase a personal item.

While it’s important to encourage your child to try new things, there are times you have a sneaking feeling they might be signing up because all their peers are. If you’re not feeling confident your child will enjoy the activity, see if they can sit in on a class or lesson or have them watch some YouTube videos to get a feel for it first.

If the activity comes with accompanying fees, sign up for the minimum number of hours at first. That way, you won’t have spent too much money on your would-be ballerina—who is now set on being a star softball pitcher—before the semester of expensive dance classes is over.