Tips to Save Money on Back-to-School Shopping in 2022

Sharpen your pencils and fill your backpacks because schools will be back in session before you know it. Each new school year often means a new set of supplies, clothes, or a new tech gadget — or maybe all three.

According to the National Retail Federation’s Back-to-School 2022 survey, families plan to spend an average of $864 on back-to-school supplies this year. Among students and their families, that number climbs to $1,199.

With countless back-to-school deals and discounts, it’s important to be wise when choosing your items so you don’t overspend or buy unnecessary products. Before you start shopping, read these tips to help you save money on all things back to school.

Credit cards can help you save in two ways. First, by paying with the right card, you may be able to earn generous cash back and/or benefit from the 0% APR introductory periods of certain cards. Second, many credit card issuers offer exclusive, limited-time offers through cardholder programs such as Amex offers and Chase offers, which usually involve more opportunities to score bonus points or discounts. in silver. Note that activation may be required to participate in these types of offers.

One of the best cards for maximizing back-to-school purchases is the Citi® Double Cash Card, which offers valuable rewards and a 0% introductory APR for the first 18 months of account membership (after 16 .24% – 26.24% variable). Cardholders can also earn a $200 welcome bonus after spending $1,500 within the first six months of account opening, plus 2% cash back on all qualifying purchases, or 1% off cash back on purchases and an additional 1% once you’ve paid your bill.

If you’ve got a lot on your shopping list, consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card and its generous welcome bonus of 1.5% extra cash back on up to $20,000 in spend in your first year. account membership – this basically increases your income. 6.5% cash back potential on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% cash back on restaurant and drugstore purchases and 3% cash back on all other expenses.

After that, you’ll earn regular reward rates of 5% cash back for travel purchased directly through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back when you shop at drugstores, and dine out (including takeaways). takeout and select delivery services) and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

It’s a simple but important tip: write what you need, not what you want. Maybe it’s highlighters, a pair of jeans, or a calculator. Before adding an item to the list, imagine how you would use it in your daily life as a student, how often you would use it, and why you want it in the first place.

Don’t buy something just because you see your peers adding it to their cart, and think deeply about how the item will improve your school experience. Once your list is complete, it will mentally prompt you to stick to just those items, saving you money at checkout.

There are plenty of apps and sites to help you find any used or refurbished items on your list, including Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Etsy, Depop, and Mercari, among countless others.

Whether you’re buying textbooks, electronics, or clothing, you’ll pay less this way than buying the item new. Additionally, you can usually find discounted items in “like new” condition on most of these platforms.

Shopping portals such as Rakuten allow you to earn cash back, points or bonus airline miles for your purchases in addition to the rewards you already earn using your credit card.

Just search for the merchant you want to shop from on any of these portals, then click on it to be redirected to their website. Place your order as you normally would, and with just a few more clicks, you’ll earn extra rewards. For example, as of this writing, you can earn an additional 2% at Apple, Staples, and Office Depot by purchasing through Rakuten.

Although you have to scour the web to find them, there are often coupons or promotional codes that can help you save even more money. CouponCabin and RetailMeNot can be good places to start when looking for coupons.

You might think you’ve found the best deal, but chances are there are still better prices waiting to be discovered.

Browser extensions like Honey find them for you so you don’t have to scour every website to find your lowest priced pencil case available on the internet. In addition to price comparisons, browser extensions can also automatically apply coupons at checkout or help you earn money while shopping online.

With a simple Google search, you’ll find listings of stores in all categories that will mark items if you flash your student ID. For example, Apple, Microsoft, H&M, Madewell, American Eagle, and Goodwill all offer student-only discounts.

You can also take advantage of student discounts through sites like Unidays and Student Beans or by signing up for a discounted Amazon Prime Student membership. Note that these discounts are generally for higher education students, although they sometimes extend to grades K-12.

To help ease the financial burden, several states offer sales tax relief for back-to-school supplies. For example, if you live in Maryland, shop August 14-20 for savings of up to $100 on clothing and shoes. Check out the list of 2022 sales tax holidays to see this year’s options.

It can be easy to buy that extra gadget or an overpriced backpack when you’re not deploying tools like these to help save you money. Whether you’re just looking for new pens or shopping for a whole new wardrobe, there are always ways to be more price conscious and find better deals. By using these tips and tricks, you can avoid overspending this back to school season.