5+ Ways to Save on Back to School Shopping Costs and more...

Are you dreading the back-to-school shopping costs this year?

Every August I used to feel the pinch when school supply lists would arrive, but over the years I’ve learned some smart ways to save.

These five strategies can help you stretch your back-to-school budget without the stress.

NerdWallet’s 2026 survey estimates U.S. parents spend around $611 per child on back to school supplies on average.

With some practical planning and these tried-and-true strategies, you can cut costs without compromising on quality.

I know some of us are still basking in the summer sun and ignoring the fact that shorter school days are just around the corner.

But I was surprised to see several trees have already begun to change their colors, and I couldn’t ignore the fact that the back to school sales have already begun.

I read this news report a couple of years ago that stated that the average parents are spending up to $890 on Back to School!

We’ve always homeschooled, and even with paying for curriculum and outside classes, I don’t think we’ve ever come close to spending what the average family does on back-to-school shopping.

Maybe I’m out of touch with how expensive traditional schooling can be these days—but wow, the numbers seem a little outrageous to me!

That said, whether your kids are homeschooled, in public school, or somewhere in between, there are ways to save.

In addition to keeping an eye on my Back to School Deals, I’ve pulled together a few tried-and-true tips that helped our family stretch every dollar during the school season.

Five Ways to Save on Back to School Shopping

These are simple strategies I’ve used personally.

With a little planning, you can get everything your kids need, without blowing your budget.

Take an inventory

Start your back to school shopping journey by taking inventory of what your children already have.

Check their closets and dressers to identify what clothing items they can reuse.

Make a list of the essential items they truly need for the start of the school year, and save the rest for later when the weather changes.

Set a Budget and Stick to It

Sit down with your kids and set a realistic budget for back to school shopping.

This step not only ensures that everyone is on the same page but also teaches your children about financial responsibility.

When you establish a spending limit, it helps avoid unnecessary expenses and impulse purchases while in the stores.

Plan Ahead for the Best Deals

Make the most of back to school sales by planning ahead.

Sign up for your favorite store’s email newsletters to receive daily updates on sales and available coupons.

Consider stocking up on school supplies during these sales so you have extras for when your child runs out later in the year.

Take Advantage of Tax-Free Weekends

Many states offer sales tax holidays during back-to-school season, which can save you even more, especially on big ticket items like clothing, shoes, and even electronics.

Some states, like Florida and Texas, include tech items up to $1,500 (yes, even laptops!). These tax free days usually fall between July and early August, so it’s worth planning your purchases around them.

Check your state’s tax free weekend calendar here to see if you qualify.

Explore Thrift Stores for Clothing Bargains

Thrift stores can be a treasure trove for affordable clothing items like jeans and hoodies.

Use your budget to purchase things like shoes and undergarments new, while exploring thrift stores for quality second hand finds.

You’d be surprised to discover brand new items or like new pieces at great prices.

Check Out Dollar Stores

Dollar stores can be fantastic for scoring deals on school supplies throughout the year.

Keep an eye out for back to school sales in the weeks leading up to the new school year, and compare prices with other stores to ensure the best deals.

Be Prepared to Say No (with Compassion)

If you’re like me, saying “no” to your kids isn’t always easy.

Especially when it comes to back-to-school shopping.

You want them to feel prepared and excited, and it’s hard to turn them down when they ask for things that seem important.

But this can actually be a great opportunity to teach them about budgeting and making wise choices with money.

If shopping with your kids feels stressful, it’s totally okay to go without them if that’s an option.

Sometimes it’s just easier to stick to your list and budget without the extra pressure.

But if they do come along, think of it as a teaching moment.

Our kids need to learn that we can’t always get everything we want.

That’s just real life.

And when they see us making a list, following a budget, and saying no when something isn’t necessary, they’re learning too.

Being smart with money is a skill they’ll use forever.

And the earlier they start seeing how it works, the better prepared they’ll be when it’s their turn to make financial decisions on their own.

So even if it feels uncomfortable in the moment, just remember you’re not being mean.

You’re being a great teacher.

Remember the True Purpose of School

Lastly, keep in mind that you are sending your kids to school to learn.

Of course we want them to feel confident and we all know that looking great helps, especially with older kids.

While looking good can boost confidence, remember that the primary goal of education is learning.

Reinforce to your children that their education matters more than material possessions.

Encourage them to focus on their studies and celebrate their achievements, as knowledge and growth are priceless.

But be careful that you are not sending the message that the way they look, or the things they have are more important that getting a great education!

Join Our Savings Group

Join our private members-only group for exclusive deals throughout the back-to-school season.

Let’s make this year’s back-to-school shopping a smart and budget-friendly experience for everyone!

I’m sharing tons of deals throughout the back to school season to help everyone save as much as they can this year.

More Back to School Stuff

If you liked this post on Back to School Savings, you’ll love these ones too!

• Cheapest School Uniform Deals – You’ll find deals for every age – kindergarten through high school.
• School Lunches Kids Love – simple tips to make sure kids eat their lunches at school.
• Free Student Planner – No matter what the success looks like for you and your family this year, a student planner can help your kids keep everything organized and more.
• Free Lunch Planner Kit – Get your kiddos in on the lunch planning this year, which makes it SO easy for everyone to get involved.
• Where to Find Cheap Textbooks – There are so many different ways to save money on expensive school textbooks.
• Printable Daily Routine Chart – One of the ways that you can be sure that your kids have the most successful school year yet is by teaching them how to live with simple daily routines.

With a little planning and smart shopping, you can start the year right without overspending.

What’s your favorite budget hack? Drop it in the comments orjoin my back to school savings group for more ideas.

    

Have you ever gotten halfway through the day and wondered where in the world your entire morning went?

You had every intention of getting a few things done, spending some quiet time, maybe enjoying a cup of coffee while it was actually still hot…and suddenly it’s lunchtime. 😂

Mornings have a way of getting away from us.

But what if, instead of jumping straight into a strict morning schedule, you took a few minutes to think about what you actually want your mornings to look and feel like?

And when I say perfect morning, I definitely don’t mean a Pinterest perfect morning where you wake up at 5 a.m., exercise, journal, make a homemade breakfast, clean the entire house and have everyone happily out the door before sunrise.

That’s not what we’re going for here.

Your perfect morning is simply a morning that works for your real life and makes room for some of the things that matter most to you.

Maybe you’d love to have time to read your Bible before the day gets busy.

Maybe you want to sit down and actually eat breakfast instead of grabbing something on your way out the door.

Maybe you’d love 15 quiet minutes before everyone else wakes up.

Or maybe your perfect morning simply means not starting every day feeling rushed and already behind.

There isn’t one right way to do mornings.

The goal is to figure out what would make your mornings feel calmer, more productive and more intentional, and then start building a routine that helps make that happen.

Start by Dreaming a Little

Before worrying about what time you need to wake up or how you’re going to fit everything in, I want you to forget about the clock for a minute.

Instead, ask yourself:

If I could design my ideal morning, what would I want it to include?

Don’t worry yet about whether it’s realistic. We’ll get to that part.

For now, think about the things that would help you start your day feeling like you had time for what matters most instead of immediately reacting to everything and everyone around you.

I’ve created a free Perfect Morning Worksheet to help you work through this and start putting your own ideal morning on paper.

GRAB THE FREE PERFECT MORNING WORKSHEET

Once you have a picture of what you’d like your mornings to look like, we can start figuring out how to make more of that happen in your actual, everyday life.

Maybe it’s something for your health like exercising, eating a real breakfast, or stretching.

Maybe it’s for your mind like reading, journaling, or praying.

Maybe it’s for your heart like connecting with your kids, chatting with your spouse over coffee, or spending a few minutes in creative work.

Whatever it is, naming it is the first step.

Use this FREE Worksheet to help Define Your Perfect Morning Routine.

What’s Getting in the Way?

Now that you have a better idea of what you’d like your mornings to look like, it’s time to think about what’s keeping that from happening right now.

Sometimes we assume we just need to wake up earlier or try harder, but that isn’t always the answer.

Take an honest look at your mornings and ask yourself where things tend to go off track.

Maybe you’re:

• Hitting the snooze button a few too many times.
• Picking up your phone first thing and getting sucked into scrolling.
• Staying up too late and waking up exhausted.
• Trying to cram way too much into your morning.
• Starting the day without a plan.
• Leaving everything—lunches, clothes, backpacks, decisions—for the morning.
• Taking care of everyone else’s needs before even thinking about your own.

Or maybe your mornings are simply in a different season right now.

A morning routine with babies or toddlers at home is going to look very different from one when your kids are older or you’re an empty nester. Work schedules change. School schedules change. Life changes, and our routines need to change with it.

The goal isn’t to create a morning where nothing ever goes wrong. That’s probably not happening.

It’s to identify the one or two things that consistently make your mornings harder than they need to be.

Once you know what’s getting in the way, you can start making small changes that give you more room for the things you decided matter most in your perfect morning.

Step 1: Dream Without Limits

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a morning that isn’t rushed, stressed, or chaotic.

In this perfect morning, you have time for everything that matters most.
Maybe you…

• Take a long, relaxing shower.
• Go for a run before breakfast.
• Spend 15 quiet minutes with your Bible or journal.
• Sip coffee with your spouse before the day begins.
• Or carve out an hour to focus on your side business.

At this stage, don’t worry about “how” you’ll make it happen.

Right now, your only job is to dream and get crystal clear on what you want your mornings to look like.

Step 2: Get Specific

Write your vision down in as much detail as possible.

Use a journal, a piece of paper, or even the notes app on your phone.

Think of it like painting a picture, where the clearer you can see it, the easier it will be to make it real.

Example prompts to get you started:

• What time would you wake up?
• What’s the very first thing you’d do?
• Who would you spend your first minutes with?
• What’s one thing you’d no longer do in the morning?

Step 3: Remember Your “Why”

Why does this matter?

Because you can’t make meaningful changes until you know exactly where you want to go.

It’s just like taking a trip…you need a destination before you can choose the best route.

When you define your perfect morning, you give yourself a clear target. From there, it’s simply about taking one step at a time to make it happen.

Start With One Small Change

Once you start thinking about your perfect morning, it can be tempting to change everything at once.

Tomorrow morning you’re going to wake up an hour earlier, read your Bible, exercise, drink more water, make breakfast, start a load of laundry, get completely ready for the day AND have dinner planned before 8 a.m.

Sounds great, right?

But trying to completely overhaul your mornings overnight usually just leaves you feeling frustrated when real life gets in the way.

Instead, look back at the perfect morning you pictured and ask yourself:

What’s one small thing I could change that would make my mornings better?

Maybe it’s putting your phone across the room at night so you don’t immediately start scrolling in the morning.

Maybe it’s laying out your clothes or packing lunches the night before.

Maybe you want to wake up 15 minutes earlier so you can enjoy your coffee in peace.

Or maybe you decide that before you check your phone or start tackling your to do list, you’re going to spend 10 minutes reading your Bible.

Start there.

Give yourself time to make that one small change part of your normal routine before adding something else.

You don’t need to create your perfect morning tomorrow.

You’re simply working toward mornings that feel a little less rushed and a little more intentional one small change at a time.

Make Your Morning Easier the Night Before

One of the easiest ways to have a better morning is to stop leaving everything for the morning.

I know that sounds obvious, but think about how many little decisions and tasks can pile up before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee.

What am I wearing?
What are the kids wearing?
Where are the backpacks?
What are we having for breakfast?
Did anyone pack a lunch?
Where in the world did that permission slip go?

Taking just 10 or 15 minutes the night before to prepare can make a huge difference.

Depending on what your mornings look like, you might:

• Lay out clothes for the next day.
• Pack lunches and fill water bottles.
• Make sure backpacks, purses and work bags are ready to go.
• Decide what everyone is having for breakfast.
• Check your calendar so there aren’t any morning surprises.
• Put anything you need to remember by the door.
• Tidy up the kitchen so you’re not waking up to yesterday’s mess.
• Set up the coffee maker so all you have to do is press a button.

You definitely don’t need to do everything on this list.

Think back to what usually makes your mornings feel rushed and see if there’s something you can take care of the night before instead.

If you’re constantly searching for something to wear, lay out your clothes.

If breakfast is always chaotic, decide what you’re having ahead of time.

If you’re forever running back into the house for something you forgot, create a spot by the door for everything that needs to leave with you.

The goal isn’t to add another long list of things to your evening routine.

It’s simply to do your future self a favor.

A few minutes of preparation tonight can give you a much calmer start tomorrow morning, and maybe even enough time to drink that coffee while it’s still hot.

Give Your New Morning Routine Time to Work

Once you’ve made a few changes, give yourself some time to figure out what actually works.

Your first attempt at creating your perfect morning probably won’t be perfect, and that’s completely okay.

You might discover that waking up 30 minutes earlier sounded great in theory, but you really need the extra sleep.

Maybe you planned to exercise first thing in the morning and quickly realized you’d much rather do it later in the day.

Or maybe something you didn’t think would make much difference ends up completely changing the way your mornings feel.

Pay attention to what’s working and what’s not.

Your morning routine is supposed to make your life easier, not become another list of things you feel like you’re failing to accomplish.

And remember that routines aren’t meant to stay the same forever.

School starts. Work schedules change. Kids grow up. Seasons change. Life happens.

What works beautifully for you right now might not work six months from now, and that’s why it’s a good idea to check in with your routine every once in a while and make adjustments when you need to.

The goal was never to create a rigid schedule you have to follow perfectly every single day.

It’s to be a little more intentional about how you start your day so you have more time and energy for the things that matter most to you.

So go back to that perfect morning you imagined at the beginning.

You don’t have to make it all happen tomorrow.

Just choose one small thing and start there.

You might be surprised how much better your mornings can feel when you stop letting them just happen and start being a little more intentional about how you spend them.

Your Turn

What would your perfect morning look like? I’d love to hear it!

Leave a comment below to share it with me, or join us in the Facebook group here to talk about it!

    

Trying to get dinner on the table without spending a fortune?

Walmart has some great Family Meal Deals that can help you feed a family of four for around $10 while keeping your grocery budget in check.

Whether you’re juggling sports practices, work, or just don’t feel like cooking from scratch, these ready to heat, easy meal bundles can be a lifesaver.

They’re faster than waiting for takeout, cheaper than grabbing fast food, and perfect for those busy nights when you just need dinner on the table.

If you’re a Walmart+ member, you can schedule delivery for right around dinnertime so everything arrives just when you need it.

What Are Walmart Family Meal Deals?

Walmart offers a variety of meal bundles designed to make dinner simple.

Depending on your local store, you’ll find options that include fully cooked meals, rotisserie chicken dinners, frozen family meals, and meal kits that only require a little prep. Availability varies by location.

One popular option is the Walmart Rotisserie Chicken Meal Bundle, which includes:

• Fresh rotisserie chicken
• Large mashed potatoes
• Large macaroni and cheese

At around $9.97, it’s an inexpensive way to feed your family on a busy night.

Two Rotisserie Chicken Meal Deals to choose from:

• Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken Meal Deal
• Traditional Rotisserie Chicken Meal Deal

We personally love the lemon pepper rotisserie chicken from Walmart and tend to pick one up almost every single time we are there.

Why I Love Walmart Dinner Bundles

I’m always looking for ways to save money without making life more complicated.

Not every night has to be a homemade masterpiece. Sometimes the biggest win is simply getting everyone around the table for dinner without blowing the budget, ordering expensive takeout, or waiting in the drive-thru.

These cheap Walmart dinners are especially helpful when:

• You have a busy evening.
• You forgot to plan dinner.
• It’s too hot to cook.
• You need an affordable last minute meal.
• You’d rather spend time with your family than cooking.

An Even Easier Option with Walmart+

One thing I especially love is that if you have Walmart+, you can place your order earlier in the day and schedule it to arrive just before dinner. That means no extra stop at the store after work or practice, and dinner is practically waiting for you when you get home.

For busy families, that convenience can be worth every penny.

More Ways to Save at Walmart

If you’re shopping anyway, don’t forget to look for additional Rollback prices, digital offers, and store brand items to stretch your grocery budget even further.

You can also browse Walmart’s Value Meals, which feature simple recipes built around affordable ingredients to help families prepare meals for around $6, $12, or $16.

With food prices continuing to rise, finding easy ways to save on dinner can make a real difference.

Walmart’s Family Meal Deals are definitely worth checking out if you need a quick, affordable meal that everyone will actually eat.

Check Out Walmart Family Meal Deals

If you’re looking for an easy dinner idea this week, take a look at the current Walmart Family Meal Deals and see what’s available at your local store.

    

You can get a FREE 8×10 Photo Print from Walgreens.

This is a great time to get one of those family pics printed. Pic up an inexpensive frame from the Dollar Store and you have a very thoughtful gift!

Use the coupon code BONFIRE to get one FREE 8×10 photo print.

Choose to pick up your free photo print in your nearest Walgreens store to also get free shipping.

Free Walgreens Photo Coupon

Walgreens App Instructions:

• Download App
• Select “Photo” Dept.
• Select “Prints”
• Choose to upload from a device, then “Next”
• Scroll to the bottom and select 8×10 for $3.99
• Upper right of Order Details select “Use Code”
• Enter code BONFIRE 
• Total will be $0.00 + free store pickup

Get yours here today!

If for some reason this doesn’t work for you, try using a desktop computer instead of the mobile app to get it to work.

    

If your camera roll is packed with family memories, now is a great time to get some of those photos printed!

I always mean to print more of my favorite pictures, but they usually end up living on my phone. Deals like this are the perfect reminder to turn those digital memories into photo albums, scrapbook pages, framed prints, or memory boxes.

Walgreens is offering 2 FREE 5×7 photo prints right now! Just add 2 prints to your cart and enter the coupon code ITS2FREE at checkout!

Choose free in store pickup to avoid shipping costs.

Whether you’re printing vacation photos, snapshots of the grandkids, or special family moments, this is an easy way to preserve those memories without spending a fortune.

Be sure to grab this deal soon, as Walgreens photo promotions are only available for a limited time.