Our tips for saving money on the purchase of school supplies

Every year, it's the same ritual since your child started primary school: you have to face an ever-growing list of school supplies.

Added to this are the jostling in the notebook aisle and the endless lines at the cash registers. All this is enough to give you cold sweats, not to mention your credit card that will heat up more than it should.

Don't let yourself be overwhelmed by this back-to-school step. Here are simple ways to save on all the school supplies your children need when they go back to school.

Take stock of what you already have in your closets

Before going to the store, take a walk around your house to see if there are any items on your children's school supplies lists that you might already have. Even though it's always nice for your child to start the year with new supplies, some of them don't need to be repurchased.

Items like rulers, pencil cases, calculators, and backpacks don't need to be replaced every year, so don't be afraid to reuse last year's supplies if they are still in good condition.

Compare prices

At this time of year, stores are fighting over discounts, and that's great news for you. Look closely at the ads you receive in your mailbox. Then, choose the best deals from each store.

Remember: just because store X wants you to spend your entire back-to-school supply budget in their store doesn't mean you have to; so grab the items on sale and leave.

Tip: buy all or part of the school supplies at a store that offers equivalent prices, so you won't have to burn extra gas in town to collect offers from each store.

Only buy what you need

Once you're in the store, all those fun extras can be tempting - colored pens, locker accessories, sticky notes, the list goes on and on - but there's a good chance your back-to-school budget isn't.

To avoid overspending, decide how you will handle your children's requests for non-essential items before you go shopping.

Ways to handle your children's requests

• Allow one additional purchase
• Ask your children to pay for anything not on the list.
• Ask your children to pay the difference between what you are willing to buy and what they want to buy.
• Refuse to give in to the request. It may not make you popular, but it's a chance to teach smart money management.
• Buy without your children. If they're not with you, they can't be tempted.

Invite your child to personalize their school supplies

School supplies with the image of stars or cartoon heroes always cost more than their basic counterparts, but let's face it: for a child, they're just not as fun. The solution? Buy the basic, economical supplies; then let your child liven them up with stickers.

Buy quality and label everything

Don't just go for the cheapest option available. Take the time to look at how things are made and choose products that seem to last. Opt for the backpack with a lifetime guarantee; choose spiral notebooks with durable plastic covers.

Then, label all the school supplies with your children's names, so they are more likely to be returned to them if they get lost.

Buying quality school supplies can be more expensive. But on closer inspection, it's actually more economical. Cheap supplies often means poor quality. So you will need to replace them often and in the end, it may end up costing you more.

Stock up on extra school supplies

Buy more consumables like extra sheets for binders, glue, markers, and other supplies that your children may run out of during the school year. This will save you money and a trip to the store.

Just make sure to put them in a place where you can find them later. You won't save money if you have to go out and buy everything again.

Buy school supplies in advance to save money?

Getting a head start on buying your child's school supplies can save you some money. For example, you could wait for sales to buy a school bag for your child. But in general, prices don't vary that much throughout the year.

The advantage of buying school supplies in advance lies mainly in the fact that you can better organize your back-to-school shopping. For example, if your budget is tight, you can start by buying your child's quality backpack as early as June. For other basic supplies - those you don't need from the school list - you can spread out their purchase over the summer holidays.

Finally, don't forget that at the start of the school year, you also need to budget for sports and other extracurricular activities. So, our best advice is to get started early so you don't have to make choices.