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Lots of parents feel the pressure to spend more than they can really handle. Sometimes they overspend because they want to keep up with the Joneses and make their kids happy. Sometimes they do this because they’re rushing and just want to shove items in their carts and head home.
Spending way too much on back-to-school things can backfire, especially when your budget is already tight. You could be leaving yourself vulnerable to nasty financial surprises, like a stalling car or an emergency trip to the dentist. What can you do when you’ve drained your account to give your kids the latest clothes, tech and craft supplies?
If you don’t have the savings and an emergency happens, you could try to apply for a personal loan online. If you’re approved, you could use the funds to cover the emergency costs quickly and then focus on repayments later on. When searching for loans, check to see the location availability — you want to be sure that you can get it in your state. So, you would specifically look for personal loans in Missouri through CreditFresh if you lived in St. Louis or Kansas City. You’ll speed up the application process doing this.
You can also avoid overspending on back-to-school shopping this year by following these tips:
Start Now
The early bird gets the worm! You don’t have to wait for the back-to-school rush to start at stores. You can get school supplies for cheap when you shop earlier on. Now you won’t have to race through the aisles right before school starts and panic when the shelves are almost bare. You can get the first pick instead of the leftovers.
If you’re not ready to spend just yet, take this as an opportunity to start saving. Make a budget so that you know exactly how much you can afford to put toward this shopping excursion. This will keep you from overspending when it comes time to shop.
Look at Home First
Before you run to the store, look to see what supplies you have at home. You might be surprised to find that you have plenty of pencils, erasers, glue sticks and notebooks sitting right under your nose. Doing this simple round of inventory ahead of time will give you a better idea about what you need to buy and help you save money.
Go Thrifting
Thrift stores are the perfect place to go back-to-school shopping when you don’t want to break the bank. Go there to get school supplies like rulers, calculators and backpacks. You can also get new — well, technically not new — clothes.
If your kids are worried that these gently used clothes won’t look as good as the expensive stuff offered at other retailers, convince them to get creative. You can tie-dye clothes with food coloring or bleach to give them a cool new design. You can add patches to jackets and jeans that need a bit of extra flair. It’s possible to make their back-to-school finds completely unique. No one else in class will have what they have.
Use Coupons
And, of course, you can use coupons and discount codes to get great deals. Look at these couponing sites for moms to see if you can get some extra help shaving down costs of supplies, clothes and other back-to-school needs.
You don’t have to empty your wallet this year. This time, you’re going to prepare your kids for school on a budget.
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