How We Navigate Back to School
How We Afford Back-to-School with Four Kids
In our family, we have four quickly growing children—and feeding, clothing, and supplying them with what they need is expensive. So, here’s how we do it:
1. We Garage Sale
We find the nicest clothes while garage saling—some even still have tags on them! We also use hand-me-downs as much as possible. We do buy our kids brand-new clothes too, but we always shop smart: coupons, discount codes, and clearance racks. We love outlet stores, but again—we’re not paying full price.
2. Backpacks
Growing up, my mom got us new backpacks and school supplies every year. We were blessed. Just like my mama, we buy backpacks when they’re on sale or when we have a coupon. I’m constantly thinking ahead. The last few years, I’ve bought their backpacks in February or March. One year, I found Champion book bags on clearance at Kohl’s for seven dollars each. Another time, I caught a flash sale for $17 backpacks.
Now, we have the kids use their backpacks for multiple years to get more bang for our buck.
3. Lunchboxes
Some backpacks come with a lunch bag and a pencil pouch. Personally, I don’t like these. If your kids are feral like mine, those lunch bags get gross. Things spill, lids don’t get put back on, and leftovers get forgotten. So, I’m picky—and I’m willing to pay a little more for lunchboxes with a hard plastic inner liner.
We currently have four different brands:
Mine is actually a six-can Coleman cooler (designed by Thermos), found on clearance for a single-digit price. It’s easy to wipe out with a damp cloth.
Two of my kids use Under Armour ones (also by Thermos), bought during Amazon Prime Days. The other two have HydroFlask lunchboxes. They have a hard 360-degree shell with the same easy-to-clean liner. I bought them out of desperation, but they’ve held up well! They’ll be using them until they can no longer be used. And the best part? When something spills or leaks, I just toss them in the dishwasher—and they come clean!
4. School Supplies
Wait until the sales hit. I always buy extra and keep a stash of the good, cheap supplies for mid-year restocks, teacher extras, or the next school year. You never know when prices will skyrocket. I also keep an eye out for bulk deals on Amazon and other sites—sometimes you can score big savings on things like pencils.
And that, folks, is how we do it.
If and when I see good sales on back-to-school items, I’ll post them on my website and Facebook page. Keep an eye out!
