Another school year is upon is, and spending on supplies will be up for many parents, as well as for teachers, college students, tutors, and daycare and childcare providers who have to be prepared before September. Back-to-school and back-to-college spending is billions of dollars each year in the U.S., and estimates project that families this year will spend an average of $800-$1400 per household. Like every year, parents, teachers, and students are looking for some ways to save money. Some things to remember to get the most out of the back-to-school season:
Many states offer a tax holiday or a tax-free weekend leading up to the new school season. It pays to plan in advance and research which high-ticket items qualify for the tax discount.
While you want your child and students to be ready to start the year, not every school supply is needed the first day. Many items, including classroom supplies, backpacks, and apparel, go on sale on or after Labor Day, making some purchases significantly less expensive if you can wait to make them.
If you don’t need everything all at once, pace some purchases out throughout the semester or year. This gives you time to shop around on pricey items, and wait to see if some go on sale through an online merchant.
Many schools issue school supply lists in advance, and for parents with more than one school-age child, it may be worth it to buy some items, like pencils, notebooks, binders, paper, and small equipment, in bulk. If you have room to store school supplies at home, it can be a money-saving convenience to have additional items on hand for later in the year or for the next school year.
Shopping for school supplies and necessities online helps you beat the crowds, and it may save you money. Many online sites that cater to parents and teachers offer free shipping around this time to entice customers.
While many payment options exist for purchasing online or in-store items, there are a lot of other school-related expenditures that come with a new school year, and not all of them are equipped to accept credit cards or online transactions—and those activities that can accept them often pass onto the purchaser the convenience fees and transaction charges.
Checks remain a reliable and trusted way to pay for a lot of school and extra-curricular activities. Checks are safer than cash to send to school with a child, they incur no hidden fees, and their cashing can be traced, confirmed, or canceled if the need arises. Consider checks for some important school- and childcare-related payments, including:
Tuition
Sports activities
Club membership dues
Field trips
Fundraising activities
Meal payments
After-school events
Supplies purchased from the school
Spirit wear
Yearbooks
Donations
Tutoring services
Checkeeper offers on-demand check printing from the convenience of your home or office for any occasion when a paper check is needed. A few clicks are all it takes to print a check that is payable to the school, club, childcare provider, recreation center, or other event provider for fast, secure processing. Print a few checks or many, and input your account and routing numbers exactly as you want them to appear. Checkeeper does not touch your funds or move your money; it simply offers a convenient, customizable check template that enables busy parents to get a check in their hands exactly when they need it for school-related or other personal expenses.