10 tips how to save on “Back to School”

The beginning of the school year is just around the corner and for sure you are already thinking about the endless list of school supplies that your child will need and the financial outlay it entails. Don’t worry, with this article you discover how to save money and time.

According to a survey conducted by the OCU in July, it was found that the average school spending in Spain this year amounts to 1,993 euros per child. Although, there are great differences between those enrolled in public or private schools, and can reach a disbursement of up to 6,000 euros. One of the expenses is the tuition price, where it is not possible to reduce price. But there are others, such as buying textbooks, school supplies, uniforms, etc. which represent between 400 and 500 euros per student. If you have children, we will help you reduce these expenses with our 10 tips how to save as much as possible and overcome the dreaded September’s cost.

Tip 1: Scholarships and grants

The first thing you should do is to look for some scholarship that eases the expenses. In many Autonomous Communities there are different types of aid for the purchase of school supplies, especially textbooks.

Tip 2: List of school supplies

Whether or not you get help, it is important that you have a list with all the school supplies your children will need and an estimated budget. Thus, it will be much easier to adjust to what they really need and avoid scares when the bill comes.

Tip 3: Compare prices

Once you have your complete list, you can compare prices of different establishments and choose the one that best suits your tastes and economic situation. In addition, after this research you will surely find promotions and discounts.

Save on textbooks

Tip 4: Reuse books from family and friends

One of the biggest savings in purchasing school supplies is being able to reuse the textbooks of older siblings, family members or friends. Unless the educational plan of the subject changes, in most cases the textbooks are usually the same as in previous years. Therefore, you can talk with other parents or a relative to borrow or sell the books at a lower price. In the same way, if you have more than one child, try to take care of their textbooks so that younger siblings can use them in the next few years as well.

Tip 5: Sell books from previous years

In the same way you buy second-hand books, if after the course they are kept in good condition and none of your children will need them again you can sell them to parents with younger children who enter that course or exchange them for others.

Save on school supplies

Tip 6: Reuse material from the previous course

As with textbooks, in many occasions the school material of the previous year can be reused. As much as children like to release everything at the beginning of the course, in most cases it is unnecessary. Before going out to buy the immense list of materials, check the ones you have at home from the previous course. This way you will save money and avoid accumulating stuff at home.

Tip 7: Everything with name

Surely you are already used to write your child’s first and last name on the agenda, notebooks and books, but the truth is that the more things you label, the less they will be lost and you will not have to buy them again. In one class there are many children with the same brand of markers, colours and pens, or with scissors of the same colour or the same glue stick. Therefore, if you put your child’s name on an adhesive tape and stick it on it, it will be more difficult for them to get lost.

Save on the uniforms

Tip 8: Reuse clothes of brothers or relatives

During childhood, children grow so fast that from one course to another, pants, sweaters and even the poles become small. Therefore, you can ask family or friends who have had or have their children in school to give you those clothes that have been left small. If it is the first year at school or you don’t know anyone, you can ask at AMPA. In many schools, parents make garment exchange groups to save at the beginning of the course.

Tip 9: Avoid losses

The school uniform is a great economic investment, therefore, if you do not want to buy the same jersey again throughout the course, putting a label on your child’s clothes is the best solution. Children often forget things, especially when they go outside and take off their jackets or jerseys to play or in physical education. To avoid losing them or getting confused with those of other classmates, sew a white ribbon with their name and its course on the part of the label. So even if they lose it, they can recover it.

Tip 10: Organize your tasks and delegate them

The first thing you should do is a list of the tasks you have on that day, you should include time you dedicate to each activity. To achieve this without leaving anything behind, you must learn to delegate tasks. To do this, you can count on our help and hire cleaning services who will clean your house for you so you can save your time for what is really important, your family. So far we have seen 10 tips about how to save on the back to school, if you know something more, you can share it with us by leaving a comment and, if you are interested you can continue reading about the back to school and how to make it more bearable for your children in this article . Until next week!