Back to school without breaking the bank

Going back to school can be one of the most expensive times of year for families, but some parents have tips to help not break the bank in August.

From glue sticks to crayons, indoor shoes to fall wardrobes, the receipts can add up for families at the beginning of the school year.

While there are some things they can’t get away without, like school agendas and bus fees, some parents find there are still ways to save their pennies.

Monique Scott has two children at St. Mary’s School and one in pre-kindergarten. She chose to take a different approach this year by paying her 2017-2018 bus fees back in the spring and by ordering school supplies online before the end of June, using the School Start program many schools offer.

School Start is a Calgary-based company that provides school supply ordering options for parents at most Okotoks elementary schools. Students receive their package of supplies on the first day of school.

“Dragging four kids around and trying to get all the deals, I just preferred the School Start,” said Scott. “For the amount of money it would save me when I totaled it up it was about $20 difference for me and I thought it was so worth it ordering online and not taking my kids from store to store trying to find the sales.”

For her daughter in Grade 5, the total School Start package was about $66, and while Scott said she likely could have shaved some off the total by buying in bulk or shopping around, it was worth her time to make the online purchase in advance.

It also broke up the expenses, having paid for school supplies in the spring. Now she’s spending dollars on items like lunch boxes, shoes and clothing, with total August bills less than usual without the supplies added to the total.

In addition to paying for busing in advance, she said it basically broke her expenses in half, making the beginning of school a little less daunting.

Scott chooses to pay $400 to bus two of her children to St. Mary’s from their Woodhaven home, which she said also saves money in the long run.

“It would probably cost me more in gas to get my kids back and forth to school than $40 a month, plus the time,” said Scott.

As far as clothing and shoes, she said anything that can be handed down is reused, like winter boots. For new items, the trick is to pick up things throughout the summer that may be on sale rather than waiting for August, when prices may not be the best, she said.

Mom of four Amber Umback Wigg, whose children attend Ecole Percy Pegler School and Ecole Okotoks Junior High School, agreed. She said she prefers not to buy clothes at the end of the summer at all.

“I shop the sales all year long,” said Umback Wigg. “My kids will get one new outfit for the first day of school and the rest of the clothes I’ll just buy as they come up on sale.”

She said it also helps to check out second-hand stores like Mission Thrift Store and the Salvage Centre at the Foothills Regional Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre. She was able to buy a pair of indoor shoes and a lunch kit for $4 at Mission, she said.

Both second-hand stores have huge selection of binders and lunch boxes for the picking, she said, which can save a lot of money while back-to-school shopping.

She also recommends checking out supplies at home.

“A lot of things get reused from year to year, so I don’t have to buy them every fall,” said Umback Wigg. “Like binders, pencil cases, rulers, things like that.”

One thing she’s appreciated this year is the ability to purchase school supplies on her own and being able to seek out deals. Previously, the supplies were a large part of school fees, she said.

Now, she can shop sales and not rely on school supply programs like School Start, which she said are more expensive than what she would spend on her own.

“While they’re handy for those who don’t have the time or the desire to penny-pinch, they’re actually $20-40 more expensive than going out, shopping and finding items on your own,” said Umback Wigg. “And since I have four kids I can often find things in bulk and divide it among the kids.”