Money Matters: You escape the heat from the Wal-Mart parking, grab one of those buggies with the wheel that rattles and moves around more than that drug addict at the stop light, and step into the store only to be greeted by the 15+ aisles that look like a school bus…it’s time to start thinking about back to school!

But rather than sending your kids back to school with old clothes and looking like the crew from Stranger Things, we are back this week to explore how every parent can get more bang for their buck compared to other popular advice.

Survey says: Many families say that back-to-school shopping stress is worse than holiday stress and 60% were even driven to tears over it. This includes dads as well since dad guilt is a very real struggle.

But we are here to get you through that so lets dive in!

Here is what on that portioned plate today:

😎 Our Favorite Resources
👍 Battle-Tested Savings Strategies
💲 College Savings Survival Tips
🤷‍♀️ What’s up for next week

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Cool Links

Our favorite resources

💵Budgeting:

Easy Budgets for Everyone

🏃Side Hustles:

Our Side Hustle Guide

📜Quote:

Ironman: “Anyone want some shawarma?”

Parents Everywhere: “NO! WE GOTTA BUY SCHOOL SUPPLIES!”

Today’s Main Event

The Main Event: Battle-Tested Savings Strategies

Before we can get into the battle plan for both K-12 and college shopping it is important to understand what categories families spend money on and the average amount.

This will let you start making your budget and plug it into whatever system you have!

If you don’t have a system in place, now is the time to start: check out our resource here that can help anyone get a simple budget in minutes.

K-12 Familes Spending Categories (Averages)

• Clothing - $250

• Shoes - $170

• Electronics - $295

• School Supplies - $145

• Total - 860

College Student Spending Categories (Averages)

• Clothing - $170

• Electronics - $310

• Dorm & Apartment Furnishings - $192

• Food - $140

• Personal Care Items - $120

K-12 Game Plan

Step 1: Take Inventory and Reuse & the 80/20 Rule

Your kids honestly don’t need to have brand new items every time they go back. Go through what you have at the house and honestly assess what is worn out and what needs refreshed.

However, kids want something they can show off and be excited about when they go back to school. Try and allot 80% to used/refurbished items and 20% to new items.

Step 2: Set a Budget and Discuss

Ask your school for a shopping list of what’s needed for the year and if they don’t have it available yet, use last years instead.

Build your list and budget from that list and then discuss it with your children. Many parents do this and it helps set expectations so that “can I have this to?” list doesn’t grow while at the store.

Step 3: Identify Sales and Tax Holidays

Amazon, Target, and WalMart generally have back to school savings events. Target Circle week, Amazon Prime Day…etc.

Find out when these are and mark your calendars so that you can get what you need during these extra savings times.

Additionally, almost every state has limited sales tax holidays for different shopping categories you can take advantage of.

The link for that calendar for 2025 is at the end of this issue under resources so that you can reference it later!

Step 4: Hand-me-Down Hero Strategies

• If you live in a big neighborhood or community, some have clothing exchange and swap events. This lets you refresh the wardrobe for $0 and sometimes get items for free and very lightly used.

• Facebook Marketplace and Yardsales: I can’t tell you how many $100+ dollar items I have found at yardsales for $1-2 max. Same thing for Facebook Marketplace. Hunt these resources for good deals on lightly used items.

• Consignment Stores, Gabes, and Ross: These stores will often have a heavy influx of items you’ll need right before school starts. Growing up, I’d often get my Nikes for half the price at these stores.

Step 5: School Supply Savings

• Dollar Stores: I’m always shocked at how much Dollar Tree has that is decent and vastly cheaper than what you get at any big box. The key here though is to stick to your list and make sure you don’t go hog wild and start dumping everything into the cart.

• Warehouse Stores: If you have or someone you know has a Cosco membership then talk to some other parents and see if they want to split the cost of some school supplies. After all, who needs 500 pencils?

• Generic Brands: If you are shopping at WalMart and the like then just buy off brand. Often it’s made by the same manufacturers anyway and it just doesn’t matter what the notebook says on the front.

Step 6: Technology Time

• Refurbished: Many retailers will have open box or refurbished devices you can buy that are often hundreds of dollars cheaper than new. Just make sure it has a gurantee in the description.

• Student Discounts: Apple, Microsoft, and others provide discounts for students. Often a quick google can get you in the right place and you can not only get hardware for cheaper but also software.

• Library Programs: Some libraries have lending programs you can take advantage of and get a semester loner on laptops and the like. This can be an incredible resource and many more can be found here in our article about how everyone can save money using the library.

College Student Game Plan

Quite a few of the strategies above apply to college student shopping as well.

Don’t buy all new clothes, shop for generic supplies, and get refurbished electronics when able.

However, here are some quick hits on college exclusive categories to get your kids in the dorm and off to class without calling the entire Avengers team to save your budget.

Textbook Warfare

• Rent Don’t Buy: Chegg, VitalSource, Amazon rentals save 60-80%

• Digital over physical: E-textbooks cost 40-60% less, weigh nothing

• The waiting game: Don't buy until after first class—professors often change required texts

• Older edition strategy: Use previous editions (often 90% identical content)

• Library reserve copies: Check if textbooks are on reserve for free use

Dorm Room Economics

• The "coordinate with roommate" rule: Split big items (fridge, microwave, TV)

• Summer clearance shopping: Buy dorm supplies during Memorial Day/July 4th sales

• IKEA college packages: Pre-designed dorm solutions at student-friendly prices

• The essentials-only start: Buy basics first, add items as needs become clear

Technology Smart Shopping

• Student discounts everywhere: Adobe, Spotify, Amazon Prime all offer student rates

• Campus computer labs: Before buying expensive software, see what's free on campus

• Previous generation devices: Buy last year's laptop/tablet models for significant savings

• Extended warranty reality: Skip them—college students are hard on electronics anyway

Resources and Links

• State Tax Free Days Calendar

  Money-Saving Apps & Websites

  • Rakuten: Cashback on everything from Target to Apple

  • Honey: Automatic coupon finding browser extension

  • Flipp: Compare local store prices and find deals

  • GoodRx: Yes, for school health supplies too

  • RetailMeNot: Coupons and cashback deals

  Shopping Destinations

  • Costco/Sam's Club: Bulk supplies and clothing

  • Walmart Neighborhood Markets: Smaller stores, same low prices

  • Amazon Prime Student: 6 months free, then 50% off regular membership

  • Facebook Marketplace: Local deals on gently used items

  • OfferUp/Mercari: National secondhand marketplace apps

  Timing Tools

  • CamelCamelCamel: Amazon price history tracking

  • Store apps: Target, Walmart, Best Buy for exclusive mobile deals

  • Google Alerts: Set up alerts for specific items going on sale

Until Next Time

What’s Up Next Week

That brings us to a close for the week and hopefully this arrives in time to help you get to shopping a little bit before the masses!

Next week Jimmy is back with a Kids Allowance system for every parent that not only saves more money than other systems, but also easily teaches them skills for the future.

SURVEY PLEASE! It’s below, it’s 1-click, and it helps us big!

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Share this newsletter with other dads and moms who need to save money without looking cheap. We're all in this together, and misery loves company (especially when it saves money).

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.