3 Personal Finance Experts — Who Are Also Moms — Share Their Top Tip For Saving On Back-To-School Shopping

The National Retail Federation forecasts that the average family is going to spend $848.50 this year on back-to-school shopping. That’s $60 more than last year — a pretty significant increase — and also the most families have ever spent. It’s a daunting amount of money, but it’s also not a number that families have to accept as a given. We talked with personal finance experts — who are also moms — about their top tip for surviving the back-to-school shopping season on a budget. On top of their tips for saving, we are going to let you in on our favorite discovery for how to get free school supplies this year with the help of the cash back app Ibotta. Ibotta is giving 100% cash back on a variety of school snacks and supplies. That’s right, sign-up and use Ibotta and certain school supplies are going to end up being completely free including notebooks, pencils, and so much more. Take notes from these budget-savvy moms, get free school supplies with the help of Ibotta, and hey, maybe the back-to-school shopping season won’t be so bad.

1. Sahirenys Pierce Of PoisedLifestyle.com: Only Buy What The Kids Actually Need And Don’t Be Afraid To Call The School To Check

Sahirenys Pierce calls herself a Latina money motivator and is on a mission to educate and empower women around all things money. She’s also a mom to two. Her biggest piece of advice to save this back-to-school shopping season? “Be very clear on what your child actually needs for school,” she told us. “A lot of times we spend money on items our kids won’t even use and make our back-to-school budget larger than necessary. I personally called the school to double-check what items are needed…For my son who is in Pre-K, he doesn’t need to bring a backpack or a lunch pail, but he does need workout clothes for fitness Fridays. Just knowing this information allows me to better budget for his specific back-to-school needs. These small details can make a big difference when creating your back-to-school shopping budget that’s right on the money.”

2. Latasha Peterson Of ArtsAndBudgets.com: Make Budget Stores Your Best Friend

Latasha Peterson is a personal finance expert on a mission to help people earn as much as they can side hustling. Peterson herself counts nine income streams! She’s also a mom to three. Her biggest piece of advice to save this back-to-school shopping season? “If you are on a serious budget and starting your back-to-school shopping, I suggest checking discount stores such as dollar stores,” Peterson shared. “[They] have so many products such as school pencils, markers, folders, notebooks, and more for a great price. I have saved so much money checking out dollar stores online for back-to-school supplies this year for my son, who will be starting kindergarten this year.”

3. Anika Jindal Of WhatAnikaSays.com: Time When You Buy Things To Your Budget’s Advantage

Personal finance blogger Anika Jindal is all about helping people tame their financial lives so they can live a stress-free life when it comes to money. She’s also a mom to a 7-year-old son. Her biggest piece of advice to save this back-to-school shopping season? “I start looking for school supplies with deals and stocking up on them as soon as the summer starts,” she told us. “As we get closer to the start of school, I check the supplies list for the items we still need and I prefer to buy them online. This way I can spend some time checking where I can get them for cheaper. I usually wait on buying backpacks and clothes until school starts because these things go at a 50% discount as soon as the schools are in session. Similarly, for shoes, I buy a pair or two for [my son] whenever I see them at huge discounts so that I don’t have to buy them at full price when he needs them.”

Refresher Course On Saving This Back-To-School Shopping Season

1. Don’t overbuy for your kids just because something is on a back-to-school shopping list. Call your kids’ schools to double-check in some cases what they truly need. 2. Buy what you can at discount stores — the savings can be huge. 3. Stock up on items when they are on sale, and wait for other items to go on sale, before you pull the trigger to actually buy them. A little bit of planning can go a long way. 4. Don’t forget to download Ibotta and take advantage of stocking up on free school supplies this year. Here’s How To Access Ibotta’s Back-To-School Free-For-All: 1. Download Ibotta to start earning cash back on the things you buy every day. It’s available as an app for your phone and a browser extension. We recommend having both! 2. Choose where you want to shop for school supplies: Walmart Pickup & Delivery, Target Online, HEB Online, Instacart, or Shipt 3. Link your retailer account, then add the special back to school offers to your list 4. Shop and check out. You’ll get your 100% cash back 24 hours after your order is picked up or delivered What exactly are you going to be able to get for free? 5 Star Notebooks Ticonderoga #2 Pencils Paper Mate Erasers Sharpie Highlighters Crayola Crayons And so much more! Besides just getting the free stuff that is available for back-to-school, Ibotta is a tool that every parent should have on their phone and on their browser anyway for getting cash back whenever they shop! Every parent needs this on their phone. Illustration: The Money Manual