5 Quick Tips for Back-to-School Savings

So, here's the short list of what I came up with during my most recent brainstorming session on ways to save money before the school bell rings.

Tip #1:  Buy school supplies when they are on sale.  Sounds easy enough, right?  You can find some pretty good deals at the larger discount stores, and right now most of them have an entire front section of the store dedicated to school supplies.  Another place to look is your favorite grocery store.  I have found some brand-name items much cheaper at the grocery store than the discount store.  Perhaps it is a competitive edge for them, and it means saving a few bucks for me.   

A side note here, and Tip #2:  You do not have to buy brand-name anything!  I only mention that because in my case, the brand-name crayons (ya'll know which ones I'm talking about), were on sale for the same price as the generic ones.  Had they not been, they would most definitely have not be purchased. 

Tip #3:  Borrow some items.  Maybe you have a cousin who's kids are gone off to college and left some things at home that will just sit in their room for the next ten years…  Items that can be borrowed, and that won't necessarily embarass your kids (because we know how they always want the new stuff—at least, I did when I was a kid) include: rulers, protractors, calculators, locker organizers, etc.  Just make sure it is in good condition and doesn't look beat up, if you can help it.  Kids get embarrased so easily! 

Tip #4:  If you are reading this article, you probably already have access to a computer.  But do you own it?  If not, consider purchasing one for cheap from your local university.  Sometimes they sell the older PC's at a discount.  And in this case, older often simply means, the ones they've removed from the computer labs two, or maybe four months, ago because they replaced them with the new batch.  Or some professor preferred his/her laptop to the desktop that was supplied, so the desktop was removed from their office.  If you're really concerned about the age of the thing, consider this.  The PC upon which I wrote this article is SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!  I bought it in 2000, and I can't bring myself to give it up yet.  It has its glitches, but its been hanging in there.  They don't manufacture PCs to be replaced every six months, they manufacture them for the long haul, its just that technology changes so fast.  A simple upgrade of the operating system will usually take care of that for a good while.  And your kids NEED—I repeat—NEED a computer!  Don't sell them for short in today's technology-driven world.

Another option to consider for buying a computer is a rent-to-own store. 

DISCLAIMER:  I am not usually a proponent of rent-to-own anything, because in the end, they get you with the fees and interest.  I only mention them because, let's face it, many of us, especially single parents, do not have the kind of credit it takes to purchase a PC directly from the manufacturer or our local electronics store for any kind of payment plan they might offer our good-credit-having sistren and brethren.  END DISCLAIMER. 

The rent-to-own store often does not check credit.  They may, however, require you to have a bank account from which to withdraw their weekly charges.  It is up to you to make sure the money is there.  If you can afford it, remember—your kids NEED a computer.  I cannot stress this enough.  There is a huge technology gap between the black community and the rest of the country, and we need to do all we can to close it, for real.  Our children deserve it. 

Tip #5:  Clothes and shoes.  Like I said earlier, you do not have to buy brand-name anything.  That being said, I admit that my kid is too young to notice, so I still have it good in that arena.  If your children are old enough to care, the most I can suggest is to maybe get them a couple of brand-name items, and then encourage them to shut-up about the rest until they are bringing home the bacon.  That's what my mom always did, and we managed to survive.  J  One caveat.  I once read an article by some psychologist who said that there were three things upon which we should spend freely because they were really important to our physical and mental well-being.  One was your bed (because obviously getting enough sleep is so very important to our state of mind during the day).  Another was something I can't remember…  The third was your shoes, because they effect the amount of pressure put on your legs and ankles throughout the day, and if you are uncomfortable or hurting, this will effect your state of mind.  Kids bleat about wanting the latest brand-name shoes, and I know that we often cannot afford them.  But let us please remember to make sure that we are buying our kids comfortable, well-made, well-fitting shoes to wear to school.   We want them to stay on top of their mental game, right?   

Finally, my hard-working, single black families, let us face the new school year with pride and high-expectations.  Our community is full of bright and brilliant youth who deserve every chance for success.  Let us strive to provide it for them.

*If you have any practical tips or suggestions of your own to help single families save money, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  I will add one or two of the best of them to each article I publish here on blackmoneymatters.com.  Don't keep it a secret!  I look forward to hearing from you.