5 Tips to Save on Back-to-School Shopping + $50 Gift Card Giveaway

I wrote this post as part of the Discover Preferred Blogger Program. All opinions are my own.

Shopping for back to school items can be exciting, yet overwhelming at the same time. According to Today Parents, the average K-12 parent will spend $100 per student on school supplies this year. By the time you add in clothes, shoes, backpacks, electronics, etc. you are looking at over $600 per child. Considering many families have more than one child in school, this adds up very quickly. Thankfully, there are ways to save!

1. Only buy the supplies you need.

Many schools will ask you to buy optional supplies, but if money is tight, skip these items. As a former teacher, I can honestly say that no one will give you a hard time if you don’t bring in every item on the list. Also, while it’s tempting to buy folders, notebooks, etc. with favorite TV/movie characters on them, they are more expensive. Skip these and save money by buying generic/store brands instead.

2. Use coupon apps to save.

Many retail stores now have their own coupon apps that make it easy to save money. Walgreens, Target (Cartwheel), and Kroger are a few of my favorites. Search the App Store or GooglePlay for your favorite stores to see what apps they might have available.

3. Comparison shop to find the best deals. 

You don’t have to go to several different stores to get the best deals. Many stores like Staples and Walmart will price-match. The easiest thing to do is look up prices online or use the weekly store ads to find the best deals and then shop at one store and have them price-match. Just make sure you check your store’s policy before heading out.

4. Buy ahead of time with one-stop shopping.

By using your Discover card to buy supplies this school year, cardmembers will not only be able to save time with one-stop shopping, but earn rewards on purchases at the following retailers:

• Walmart: 5% Cashback Bonus
• Target: 5% Cashback Bonus
• Kmart: 10% Cashback Bonus

Cardmembers: Log into Discover.com and visit ShopDiscover or the new Discover Deals site to access the retailers above!

• Amazon: Discover cardmembers can redeem their accumulated Cashback Bonus at checkout on Amazon. Use as little or as much as you like — there are no limits. Plus, Amazon has a great Back to School department with easy-to-navigate categories.

Cardmembers: In your Amazon account, link your Discover card to your account through the Shop With Points page in order to redeem it during checkout.

5. Get free shipping on new school clothes.

This year, Discover cardmembers can send their kids back to school in style — and pick up something fun for themselves, too! Use the following merchants to get free shipping and earn extra rewards on apparel:

• Aeropostale: Get free shipping on over $50 after signing up for Aeropostale’s email, and earn 5% Cashback Bonus by using ShopDiscover.com
• OnlineShoes: Enjoy free shipping on UGG Australia purchases, and earn 15% Cashback Bonus by using ShopDiscover.com
• JCPenney: Take advantage of free shipping on orders over $99 (or over $25 when shipping to a store instead of your home address) and earn 10% Cashback Bonus by using ShopDiscover.com

Discover Gift Card Giveaway

To help with all of your back-to-school shopping, we are giving away a $50 Discover Gift Card to one lucky winner!

Simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Giveaway ends on 9/9 at 11:59 PM MST. Open to U.S. residents, 18+. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway