If you are a low-income family with several kids in grade school, you probably know that back-to-school shopping can put a strain on the family’s finances.
The cost of books, copybooks, backpacks, clothes, shoes, calculators, laptops, and other essentials for school can put a big dent in your wallet.
Millions of families in the United States live paycheck to paycheck, and millions more can’t come up with $400 to remediate an emergency.
According to the National Retail Federation’s back-to-class data center, the average American family spends about $700 on back-to-school shopping for their grade school kids, and up to $980 on college kids.
For many people, scrapping up the finances for back-to-school shopping can be a problem.
If you, or someone you know, will need help getting cheap or free school supplies, the resource below will be helpful.
1. Kids in Need Foundation
Kids In Need Foundation has a mission to ensure that every child in the United States is prepared and equipped to learn and succeed in the classroom. They achieve this by providing free school supplies to the students most in need.
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If you are a teacher or family in need, all you have to do is contact your local chapter of the National Network of Resource Centers, a Kids In Need Foundation partner, and they will tell you how to get the supplies you need.
2. Boys & Girls Clubs of America
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national organization, with local chapters, that provides after-school programs for young people.
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It will interest you to know that the Boys & Girls Club of America also provides school supplies to families in need.
All you have to do is contact your local chapter to know what’s available. The organization usually host back to school donation drives as well. You can donate to the drive if you want to help someone in need.
3. Your Child’s School
You may not be aware of this, but your child’s school is an excellent resource center for getting free school supplies or information on how to get free school supplies.
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All you need to do is contact the authorities at the school –guidance counselor, principal, or the resource officer. They will give you information about how to get these supplies for your kids.
4. Your Child’s School District
You child’s school district office is a reservoir of information and resources. All you have to do is visit the district office and request information on free school supplies for low-income families.
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Most times, your state will have a program to help students from low-income families. Also, many charities use the school district office as a point of contact to help students in need.
5. Adopt A Classroom
Adopt A Classroom is a non-profit organization that provides school supplies to teachers, schools, and school districts.
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The program connects donors directly with teachers through a crowdfunding process.
Encourage your child’s teacher to join Adopt A Classroom. They can raise money on the platform to help with supplies for underprivileged kids in their classroom.
6. Start A School Supplies Drive
You can join with other families and start a school supplies drive.
Many will be interested in helping but don’t know how to do so.
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The key to succeeding with the drive is planning and transparency. It would help if you outlined the following clearly:
- Beneficiaries of the drive
- The goal of the drive
- Supplies needed
- Then you need to promote the drive.
Here’s some resource on how to plan a school supply drive.
By the way, Nextdoor is a great place to promote your school supplies drive.
7. Contact United Way
United Way is a non-profit organization that’s active in hundreds of communities in the United States.
They help community schools, low-income families, and older people. If you need school supplies for your kids, contacting United Way could be a good idea.
8. Contact Your Local Community Center Or YMCA
Your local community center may have some helpful information for you. Contact them and ask about assistance for low-income families. You may be surprised by what you get.
Remember, community centers usually have information about resources and activities in the community. They may provide some useful information to help your situation.
9. Contact Your Local Church Or Religious Organization
Get in touch with local churches and religious organizations in your community. Ask if they have any back to school programs for low-income families.
Religious organizations usually have a department for charitable giving. These departments are formed primarily for helping low-income families.
10. Get Cheap School Supplies From Thrift Stores and Dollar Stores
Shopping at a thrift store or a dollar store is an effective way to stretch a dollar. If your family is struggling to make ends meet, getting your school supplies at these affordable places will be a great way to get more bang for your buck.
At dollar stores, most items cost just one dollar, which is very cheap. But at thrift stores, it is not unusual to find copybooks for twenty-five to fifty cents apiece.
At the dollars and thrift stores, you can also find pens, pencils, backpacks, binders, staplers, glue, and most of the supplies you child will need for school.
11. Take Advantage Of Cash-back On Swagbucks And Rakuten
Apps like Rakuten and Swagbucks can help you earn some money to purchase those school supplies.
All you have to do to earn money on these apps is to watch videos online, play games, and answer surveys.
Read more about these apps here.
[Read: Best Cash-back Apps For Saving Money]12. Get Money Back With Paribus
Paribus is an app that gets refunds for you when the price of an item you bought reduces. You can then use the refund to get school supplies for your kids. Here’s how it works.
For example, if you bought a television on Amazon for $750, and three weeks later, it goes on sale for $550, Paribus can help get you a $200 ($750 – $550) refund.
[Read: Paribus Review: Get A Refund When Prices Drop]
All you have to do is sign up once using the email you usually use for your online purchases. Paribus will then scan the receipts in your email and compare the current price to the price you paid. If there’s a price drop, Paribus will help get you a refund.
Paribus will get you a refund without your intervention — it will be done behind the scene.
When money is tight, it sure will be helpful to get a generous, unexpected refund, and Paribus can make that happen for you.
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