Moms Talk Q&A: Back-To-School Shopping

Each week our Moms Council discusses a different parenting issue. Join the conversation by weighing in on a topic or ask our panel of experts your question.

This week's question comes from local reader and Patch contributor, .

With school starting around the corner, how do you go about back-to-school shopping? Do you shop once and get it all done; do you shop ads through the back-to-school rush; do you buy the kit the schools offer; and how do you budget for the cost especially with multiple kids? 

: As for school supplies, I look over the list and pick up things as I go through the summer. I tend to look for good sales. I love when you can buy glue for 25 cents and other items really cheap! Being a teacher, I stock up for myself too! By mid-August I’ll just get the remaining few items. Our school did not offer the kits, but I love those too for the convenience and getting the correct items that the teachers request.

Jeannette Lemieux: I think back-to-school shopping is my least favorite chore. Now that my children are older it isn't too bad—the lists seem to have gotten smaller, but the items are more expensive (i.e., specific calculators for math). I'm one of those people that goes at the last minute, usually the day before school starts. I go to one store and get it all done in one go. I have always taken the kids with me, so they can choose the colors etc., that they want.

Another good thing about having older kids (rising eighth and 10th grade) is that I'm finding we have most of the items they need; they don't out grow their backpacks or clothes quite as quickly as they used to. I was always amazed at how much the supplies cost, fortunately having only two kids I didn't really have to budget for them, although I'm sure my husband would have had a heart attack if knew how much I spent on this stuff.

: The school's kits always seemed a little expensive to me. I've shopped around and I've Frankensteined together the supplies by reusing a hodge podge of last year's stuff and hand-me-downs. Don't buy new scissors, erasers and rulers every year if the old ones still work. Twelve inches will always be a foot. Even markers can be reused if they still have ink. Then, I'll get the rest at Staples, 5Below, or the grocery store. Another thing I've heard that people do is to go to Costco/Sams in conjunction with other families. If you pool together and get the "jumbo packs" of certain items, you can save quite a bit.

Heather Kerr: My school does not offer a "supply kit" to purchase and, therefore, I have to buy everything. Last year I waited until mid-August to buy school supplies and had to drive to several stores to complete the list. In an effort to avoid that, this year I bought our school supplies as soon as I saw them in Target (mid-July). I try to use the excitement of buying the supplies as a way to get the kids excited about school starting. I have found that most stores only put half of what I need on sale. If I can get some of it discounted, I go ahead and buy it all at once. It's too much trouble making multiple trips with three kids to only save a few dollars. Even though the kids aren't quite ready for summer to end, they have their supplies organized and ready to go!

Lisa Levin Reichmann: Our kids are still too young for back-to-school "supplies" (although our twins are going into kindergarten, they are entering private school where the supply list is minimal), so at this point I don't really need to plan specifically for supply shopping. I do stock up on some fall clothing, though, but tend to wait until the Montgomery County Parents of Multiples (MCPOM) consignment sale in September/October), which is a huge event offering not just clothing, but everything else related to babies and young kids. I can find gently-used (and often new!) high quality, designer clothing, jackets, shoes, boots, winter gear, etc., for yard sale prices, and often end up buying most of our three kids' entire winter wardrobes there!

Sheila Bouley: I am the mother of three boys and I consider myself a bargain shopper. I started my back-to-school shopping a few weeks ago when Staples and Kmart came out with their first ads of the summer. Fortunately I get my Sunday ads early, so I spent Saturday taking an inventory of what I already had on hand. You'd be amazed at how many crayons I found hiding in drawers and under the couch! My oldest is not very good at keeping a neat pencil box, and that nice box of crayons is usually ripped open and falling apart within days of the start of school. This year, I put a rubber band around all of the colors of the rainbow and tucked it into his backpack to get him started for the new year.

Once I complete my inventory, I download our school supply lists and compare the items in the weekly ads. I like to shop early on Sunday because although the store may have great prices, often they have a limited number of these items on the shelves, and most do not give rain checks for school supplies. Additionally, many stores limit quantities and by shopping early you can make multiple trips to stock up. I understand many of the office supply stores will match competitor prices. I have not verified this, but it is worth a try.

I always buy extra supplies for the local Back-To-School Supply Drives and a few to keep on hand for those desperate e-mails from teachers during the school year (glue sticks are always in need!). My goal is to buy enough supplies so I can replenish my boys pencil boxes two to three times during the year—did I mention they are boys?! Honestly, I have to admit I enjoy shopping for back-to-school supplies. I feel as if I am filling the boys' pencil boxes with all of the tools they need to design and build another year of learning.