SAINT PAUL, Minn — Many parents have just one more weekend to shop before school starts, and they'll have to pay up.
A survey by Deloitte shows parents this fall plan to spend on average $586 per kid. The cost nearly doubles if the child is in extracurricular programs. Enter the Twin Cities Frugal Mom.
The blogger, Lisa Stockert, has two teens of her own and has yet to check off all the items on their lists of school supplies.
Stockert won't be purchasing everything, however. She especially won't be purchasing everything brand new.
"We start with, 'What do we have?'" she said. Her online advice includes "25 Money-Saving Tips for Back to School Shopping."
She looks for supplies she can get for free, through events around town and "buy nothing" groups on Facebook. Stockert warns, "The thing is, with the Buy Nothing groups, things go fast." Her advice is to check the pages routinely.
Stockert admitted many required school supplies are specific and harder to find free.
"What I suggest is, first of all, after you've exhausted all of your free options, go to a site like Flipp," she said. "There are several sites where you can compare [prices], including like Flipp and Price.com."
Bullseye Deals, an authorized marketplace on eBay, is Stockert's top pick for finding items that don't make it to the shelves at Target stores.
Many supplies can be bought used as well, and it's a popular alternative for parents. Deloitte found 43% of parents buy pre-owned products when available, up 3% from last year. The company concluded, this is a result of "growing interest in value and sustainability" in its 2024 survey.
Pre-owned purchases, for Stockert and her kids, include laptops. She recommends electronic stores like Device Pitstop in Maple Grove.
For clothes, she recommends shops, including Eco Chico in Saint Paul, Kid to Kid in Eagan and Once Upon a Child located around the metro.
"I got all my loot," parent Emily Anderson said, after purchasing two bags of fall clothing at Eco Chico for her kids. Anderson thinks similarly to three quarters of parents in the Deloitte survey, who don't feel guilty sending their kids to school with used supplies.
"Actually I feel more guilty buying brand new stuff at full price than I do thrifting," she said.
Sites mentioned by Stockert:
Poshmark: Buy and sell clothing for all ages
Kidizen: Buy and sell kids' clothing
Bullseye Deals: Buy Target items for less due to no packaging, returns
Facebook: Search for your local Buy Nothing group
Editor's Note: Lisa Stockert has previously been paid to advertise for Eco Chico and Device Pitstop. This article is based on her shopping advice and at the time of publication, she said she is not being paid to advertise the two companies.