I’m a Parent: 5 Ways Shopping at Costco for Back-to-School Saves Me Money
Written by
Athena Valentine Lent
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Parents are estimated to spend $31.3 billion this year on costs associated with returning to school in the fall, according to a survey by Deloitte. Along with school supplies, parents may pay more for other expenses, such as those that come with extracurricular activities, due to a rise in costs. 1 out of 3 parents surveyed say they can’t afford back-to-school shopping and plan on cutting costs on household items such as groceries. Others plan on taking out debt.
One way parents can save on back-to-school shopping costs is by checking out warehouse stores like Costco. The warehouse club offers great deals on a variety of everyday items as well, but they also have some of the best deals when it comes to spending wisely as a parent. When tackling back-to-school shopping, here are some of the ways Costco can save you money.
They Have Great Deals on Electronics
“For grades sixth through eighth, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 11-inch Wi-Fi Tablet 64GB. It is a great starter tablet with thousands of apps to choose from and child safety features,” said Kendryah Smith, owner of RE.DIRECT and a parent.
For those in high school, you can check out the 14-inch MacBook Pro laptop with an Apple M3 Pro chip, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 18GB memory and 1TB SSD storage. This is also the computer she uses in her everyday life for her business. She especially loves the extended battery life for teens who may get caught up when surfing the net.
It’s a One-Stop Shop
“I appreciate that Costco is very much a one-stop shop for many back to school basics — eliminating the frustration of multiple trips to miscellaneous stores in the ninth hour before school starts,” said publicist and mom of five Jasmine Bloemhof.
She said purchasing typical school supply items, like backpacks, printer paper, notebooks, new socks for gym class and even hand sanitizer and Kleenex to support teachers as they stock their classrooms, can be really economical for families with multiple children.
You Can Buy in Bulk
“You can save a significant amount of money by buying in bulk and stocking up,” Smith said. For example, Smith explained that at Costco, you can snag the ultimate bundle of school supplies — a 40-piece pack perfect for stocking your home with the necessary school supplies or their backpacks with everything they need for a successful school year.
In the pack, you will find a variety of glue, highlighters, erasers, pencils, pens and markers for $9.99 in the warehouse. This alone can help you save quite a few dollars. Buying multiples of the same item also means you can keep a stockpile on hand for that random day in a few months where your kids let you know last minute they need supplies for a project due in the morning.
Costco Offers Great Deals on Every-Day Items
When it comes to back-to-school shopping, school supplies may be at the forefront of your list, but don’t forget about the everyday essentials that it takes to run your household smoothly, ensuring your kids are at their best everyday. Smith loves Costco for back-to-school shopping because she can get fruits and vegetables in bulk, as well as toddler multivitamins (SmartyPants USDA Organic Kids & Toddler Formula Multivitamin, 180 Vegetarian Gummies).
All of these are essential for her child to create a boosting immune system to prepare them for being in close proximity to other potentially sick kiddos. Parents often have to take their own sick days to cover for when their child stays home sick, which can add up to wages lost over time, so why not be as proactive as one possibly can.
Costco Passes on Their Savings to Their Members
One reason it’s so cheap to shop at Costco despite paying for a yearly membership is because the major retailer doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing the wealth. Because Costco buys all of their items in bulk and from select vendors, they are able to keep their prices lower than other competitors. Costco also has monthly sales, which they send flyers out for, so it pays to keep an eye out for your mail. You can sometimes score 50 to 75% off items on top of their already low price.
They also pride themselves on delivering good-quality products under their own store brand, Kirkland Signature, for an even lower price than other brands they carry.
Costco is a great resource to have in your back pocket when it comes to back-to-school shopping. Whether it’s a snack pack in their lunchbox or some Kleenex for the classroom, Costco is sure to have it all.
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