Simple ways to save on back-to-school shopping as sales get underway

Parents, get those shopping engines started.

With Prime Day around the corner, it is time to start thinking back-to-school, even though your son's or daughter's school supply list may not even be available yet.

Dee Lundsford is not waiting.

"I like the sales," she said while checking out at Walmart. "July is always a good month to really go shopping."

She's right. If you need school or office supplies, you'll find the best deals of the year starting right now. And inflation has finally leveled off with last month's consumer price index reaching the lowest it has been in a year.

Walmart regional manager Matt Goans says the chain is working hard to keep prices at last year's levels.

"We have backpacks under $20, a great value," he said, showing character backpacks priced at $19.99.

Some laptops are even cheaper than last year, he said.

Spread out your shopping to save

Consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch says before you buy anything, take inventory of what you have at home. For instance, you may still have a sturdy backpack that just needs cleaning or an unused pack of crayons.

"Basically, you want to shop at home before you shop the sales," she said.

She says a store may draw you in with 10-cent folders, but you don’t have to buy everything in one place all at once.

"You want to beat them at this game by spreading out your purchases over a few weeks," she said.

That's especially true if you are in a state with a sales tax holiday in the coming weeks. It may make sense to buy a tablet or Chromebook when you can get it with no sales tax, in Ohio, Florida, Maryland, and a handful of other states.

The Sales Tax Institute lists all the states with tax holidays in 2024.

Woroch says buying in bulk is also a great way to save, but if you don’t need 50 glue sticks, "You can find a few other families to go in on those deals and then split the purchase. That is a great way to get those savings."

Also, she says to manage your monthly cash flow by only buying what you need now.

Clothing sales on Labor Day and afterward

Some clothing and supply purchases can wait for deep discounts at Labor Day sales, or immediately after.

To save on clothing, RetailMeNot's Emily Foley says to wait for deeper discounts later in the year.

"Wait for Labor Day sales to get your long sleeves, your sweatshirts, your jeans, that sort of items," Foley said. "Because at the beginning of the school year, kids are gonna be wearing warm weather clothes."

Also, Foley says to make sure you’ve joined your favorite stores’ reward programs.

"A lot of the time, the best deals are saved for rewards program members," she said.

RetailMeNot lists store discounts and coupons for back-to-school shoppers.

The best news of all: The government's just-released consumer price index shows inflation finally taking a break in June, with prices down 0.1% percent for the month, the first drop in consumer prices in four years.

College student Lashay Charles says its nice to finally get a break from inflation.

"Especially the Five Star which is a good brand, too," she said referring to notebook prices.

You'll find great deals the next few weeks, so you don't waste your money.

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