It is no secret that school supplies can cost a single family hundreds of dollars per child. If you are on a tight budget, the thought of buying school supplies might make you nervous. But the good news is, there are ways to get all the back to school supplies you need without ending up deeper in debt. Look at how to buy school supplies when you are broke, so you can get the kids back to school even if funds are tight.

How to Buy School Supplies When You are Broke

1. Take advantage of dollar store offerings.
Dollar stores can be your best friend when you are buying back to school supplies. You can find large packages of pencils, glue, pencil bags, lunch bags, white out, crayons, markers, and so much more. They even offer character varieties! Visit the dollar store first and see how much of your list you can knock out.

2. Penny sales are your best friend.
Lots of office supply stores offer penny sales during the back to school season. Be sure to check Sunday circulars for these sales and take advantage of them. Shop with a friend or friends (or even the kids) so you can each take advantage of the deal since they may be limited to one per customer. If you have to shop alone, ask if you can do multiple transactions to get the deal.

3. Take advantage of any giveaways you are eligible for.
Is your city or school corporation offering any type of school supply giveaway? If your income allows you to qualify for these events, attend. These events give out an array of donated school supplies that can help you get your child stocked up even when funds are low.

4. Ask the school which supplies your child will use the first week of school.
Lots of school supplies will go on sale and clearance the week or so after school starts. Ask your child’s school which supplies off the list are a priority and buy those items first. This way you can wait on the other items until they go on sale.

5. Try re-using what you have.
Before you buy anything, go through what you already have and see what may work. You might be surprised at how many supplies from the previous year are still in good shape with some life left in them. Look for extra pencils, crayons, notebooks, and even items that would be great for lunch boxes.

6. Be realistic with your child about your budget.
Fancy school supplies and character branded items tend to cost much more than plain. If working on a budget, be realistic about it with your child. Offer them one of these character folders or notebooks and opt for the rest in plain. This way they still get a fun folder/notebook but you can snag the rest of the folders for as little as a quarter.

Buying back to school supplies can be a financial burden. Try these methods on how to buy school supplies when you are broke and see how they can help make the most of even the tightest budget.

Clearance is heaven for anyone that loves bargains, has a big family or donates to causes. It gives you all the items you need and want at low prices. Clearance is the best way to shop, but you not all stores are the same. Here are 5 stores that have amazing clearance finds!

5 Stores to get Amazing Clearance Finds

Meijer:

It is number one in my book! They do amazing 50% of clearance price sales 2-3xs a year, the best part is the original price of item counts towards your Mperks! This is the best way to buy clothes, gifts and seasonal items throughout the year. They always have something on clearance and I never buy unless 75% off or more. Only exception is something I really needed and was already going to buy then I would do 50%. Also a good place to buy next sizes up or next year at that seasons clothes.

This store does get to 75% or more on their clearance and it is on so many random items. Like recently $13 hair dye was on clearance for $3! Best buys are usually hair care or medicine. Also if lucky to find seasonal items at 75%-90% off snatch it up! This past winter ended and they had all hats and gloves for $1 and it included Disney ones. Randomly you can even find baby items, feminine hygiene products and more. (Found tampons on clearance for $2 a box for Tampax Pearl)

Walgreens:

This store has seasonal and random products getting marked down almost weekly. I usually go here for the toys or makeup. They mark things down all the way to 90%! Just have to snatch it up before someone else. (Good place for gifts). Checking your local store once every two weeks or so is the best bet at catching deals!

The best time for clearance shopping here is when they do a random 50% off all clearance and marked down items. It is where you can get a lot of different things like clothes, shampoo, baby items and more. Now if you get lucky combine it with $5/$25 coupons they have. Deprecate transactions to use many coupons. Best Buy!

This store is amazing for markdowns and clearance. They have markdowns on food and general items that can get really low! I got a $4 bottle of orange juice for $0.15 once! Close outs are hard to spot because they leave them in the aisles, so keep an eye out for white hangtags. Markdowns are in different spots in the store. Look at the outer walls of the store for different stands and look in your meat area for a small section they use for markdown meat!

Look around your local stores to see how their clearance, markdowns and close outs go. Write it down in a notebook when you spot them or get notices about them. Also keep an eye out for how long it takes for items to get marked to a really low price. Happy Hunting!