COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — As summer winds down and the first day of school gets closer and closer, southern Colorado parents aren’t just soaking up the sun, they’re already plotting how to buy all those notebooks, backpacks and sneakers without draining their wallets.
News 5's Jaylen Lee stopped by John Venezia Park and Goodwill in Colorado Springs to ask families one simple question: What's your best tip for saving money before the school year begins?
For Sergio Ordaz, it all starts with planning ahead.
"Honestly, I would just say just budget," Ordaz said. "Figure out a certain time before the school year gets here, save and put away, just so that way you have that money and not have to worry about it."
Others say saving money doesn't always mean spending less, it means shopping smarter. Tiffany Gross recommends looking for sales, checking around the house before buying something new and sticking to the school's supply list.
"Looking for sales, going through your house, finding things that you need that might be around the house... but also going to the stores and sticking with your school supply list and not going overboard," Gross said.
For parents with growing kids, shopping secondhand has also become part of the routine. Kristen Gile said stores like Goodwill and Once Upon a Child help her family save money because of how fast children outgrow clothes and school items.
"Absolutely Goodwill or other places like Once Upon a Child," Gile said. "They just grow so quickly, and we like to have options. So Goodwill is definitely the place to go."
Gile estimates shopping secondhand saves her family "probably hundreds through the year."
Whether it's budgeting months in advance, waiting for sales, reusing supplies from previous school years or shopping secondhand, the parents News5 spoke with agreed that getting an early start can make back-to-school shopping a little less stressful.
