Back-to-School Economic Strategies Employed By Savvy Parents

We're not out of the woods yet! The recession may be over, but the working parents we spoke with at SBC Advertising said that they are still employing money-saving strategies to recover during the back-to-school season this year.  Some mothers told us they plan to continue using strategies formed in the last few years. So what has the recession changed?

Re-using or recycling school supplies from the previous year was one important cost-cutting measure mentioned by the parents we spoke to.  A mother of five said that she used to throw away everything at the end of the school year and shop for all new supplies before the next school year. Now, she saves anything salvageable and keeps it through the summer for her children to use come fall. 

Another mother said that she now postpones haircuts until right before school instead of having intermittent summer haircuts. This allows her children to look good for school pictures without spending money on multiple haircuts during the summer.

Clothes are another expense left until the last minute according to our working parents.  Kids grow quickly, so some parents said they now wait until August to buy new clothes for school. "What fits in June isn't necessarily going to fit in August," said a mother of one. Clothing can become expensive as kids begin to demand name brands, so one mother suggested taking children to a used clothing store and giving them more money to spend there because "they get more there than we'll end up spending somewhere else."

What measures have you used or do you plan to use this coming back-to-school season to save money? Did the recession change your habits?

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