Do you have to buy everything now, all at once, for back to school?

For this week’s Reality Cheque column, we’re investigating whether the back-to-school season is the best time to shop for school supplies. And if it’s now or never for you, how not to break the bank.

It’s almost time for kids to head back into the classroom and, unsurprisingly, parents are finding this season more expensive and stressful than ever before. It’s even beginning to rival the holiday shopping season in terms of spending. This year, the back-to-school shopping season represents a $4.5 billion market, according to a Caddle study in partnership with the Retail Council of Canada. And Canadians with kids in kindergarten to Grade 12 are spending on average $600 to $750 per kid during the back-to-school panic and that doesn’t even include paying for extracurricular activities.

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To top it off, in today’s unpredictable economy, 91% of parents said they felt that back-to-school shopping was more expensive than previous years. With summer bills coming in now, it’s no wonder many Canadian families can’t keep up.

The fact that people are spending $600-plus per kid is “insane” to Dee Debarros, a Sarnia, Ont.-based mom behind @coupon.couple on Instagram, where her 81,000 followers look to her to source the latest deals in Canada.

What are Canadian families to do this back-to-school season? Spend less is the obvious answer. But here are some tips to do more with strategic planning.

Why BTS spending gets out of control

Feel pressure to shop now? “A lot of the time, there’s heavy spending during these seasons, and it becomes heavy because we think of what we buy as one-off purchases,” says Ali Harris-Saunders, Corporate and Community Manager, at the non-profit Credit Counselling Society.

But don’t feel too guilty about overdoing it. Everyone’s feeling the pinch. “While 73% of parents admitted to going over the budget for back-to-school shopping, the top reason for over overspending was inflation,” she explains. “Simply put, things are just getting more expensive, and it’s making shopping difficult for the average Canadian.”

Do your homework before you hit the mall

“Don’t start by looking for deals,” says Debarros. Instead, first consider what you already own. If your kid already has a decent backpack, wash it and see if it will last for another year.

Debarros’s budget for BTS shopping is $150 per child—at most—so she has to be strategic. “People overpurchase items for kids in younger grades that they don’t actually need—things like stationery and writing materials,” she says.

Teachers will often provide a small shopping list of materials, or some schools even offer a school supply kit program. Those are the supplies your child needs; the rest is just nice to have.

Once you’ve taken inventory, write down two lists—needs and wants—for the school season. Then, most importantly, set a budget, as both Harris-Saunders and Debarros recommend. Debarros also keeps a spreadsheet to track her spending, including BTS purchases.

Go one step further, says Harris-Saunders, and create a budget for the entire school year, not just the fall. A budget “helps us prioritize purchases in terms of what needs to be bought now versus the things that can kind of wait for later,” she says. Log other costs like sports fees and field trips, too. These costs come around every year, so just like holiday shopping, you can map them out to figure out how much you’ll need.

Are there better deals in-store vs. online?

“I like shopping in-store,” says Debarros. “But there are some great online deals.”

Her hot tip: If you’re in a store and see a sale, take a second, pull out your phone and look up the product. “You’re taking the time to do the research, and ‘hey, wait a minute, actually, this is not even on sale. It’s at Walmart for the same price’.”

Finding the best BTS shopping deals

Do your research to find out whether it’s a good deal now, or if it’s better to just wait a few more months.

“There are deals that only happen this time of year,” says Debarros. For example, stationary often goes on clearance in late summer, and many technology sales and bundles are best in late summer and early fall, depending  on the brand and the tech. Did you know it’s also the most popular time to buy a new cellphone on sale? Headphones are better bought during Black Friday or Boxing Day sales. Computers often go on sale for back-to-school, so you can get deals now, as well as around the holidays, she says.

But skip clothes. “This is the worst time of year to shop for fall clothes. Don’t do that. You’re going to be paying full price,” says Debarros. Harris-Saunders agrees. “When it comes to what’s the most expensive thing about back-to-school shopping, it’s clothing and footwear. They’re typically the largest expenses for Canadian households, followed by school supplies and electronics.” (Here’s how to buy cheap clothes that last.)

If your kid really wants some new duds, and you didn’t buy it on clearance in early summer, wait until the retailers start to clear inventory for back to school or the next sales cycle. The way shopping seasons are, this can start as early as the first weeks of September.

Game your BTS shopping

Gamify your credit card rewards and loyalty points. “Points ultimately equal money. If you are not collecting the points, you’re just leaving money on the table,” says Debarros. “If I only have this much to spend, I’m going to be looking at where I can save money every single time I go out.”

Browse flyers that come in the mail, look for physical coupons in store, check for deals in the store’s loyalty app, use coupon apps, and make sure you’re making the most of your points cards and credit cards, she says.

Look to other BTS resources

A lot of school districts can help cover the costs of certain supplies or provide fee reductions or waivers for various school-related items. If you need the support, reach out to your school administration to see what resources they have; most of the time your request will be confidential. 

And no matter how much you plan to spend, it’s important to have some perspective. “Know when to not fall for the advertisements and that sense of urgency to buy things that you might not really need,” says Harris-Saunders. “Not everything has to be brand new every single September.”

Read more from this issue of The Get:

1. Why scammers are suddenly interested in your internet cookies
2. Lawyer Jordana Goldlist is changing how we think about criminal offenders
3. What is a prenup agreement? Should Canadian couples get one?
4. Teaching Gen Z (and younger Canadians) how to spend and save