Back to School deals start in early July right after the July 4th holidays! Start shopping now to grab 50¢ pencils, paper and so many other great deals!
You can get most of your back to school shopping done without spending much at all! There are so many great deals that it just takes a few minutes each week and you’ll have most items for pennies on the dollar. Here are some of my tips for how to save on back to school supplies!
8 Ways to Save on Back to School Supplies
Start Early
I know you don’t have your school list or even know what teachers your kids will have, that doesn’t need to stop you. The sales are running now through the third week of August—for 6 weeks. That’s it! If you don’t go back to school ’til September and you wait until the night before to shop, you’ll cry. In general, you can guess what your kiddos need and you’ll probably be 95% spot on. What did you use when you were 6? Crayons, pencils, and markers…
Starting before you have the “official” list may seem dangerous, but if you end up grabbing an extra pack of pencils at 10¢ a pack it’s not nearly as bad as paying $2 for them the night before.
Double Your Quantity
This tip isn’t so much about cutting the budget right now but more about planning ahead. Most school supply lists never have enough on them to get you through the year, and, sadly, we NEVER see a spring school supply sale. Double whatever you think you need so that you have a stash of supplies to last all year. This is huge in our house with us homeschooling. This year may be the first year that we bought enough and didn’t run out for crayons or paper mid-year.
Shop for home, too: It’s probably best to prepare for having kids at home more this fall. Grab items that will help with homework, homeschooling, projects and just having fun! Can you really ever have too many crayons?
Shop One Store for Basics
Things have changed a bit in the last 5 years and we now see every store run the same prices for ALL of back to school shopping. So the 35¢ notebooks at Target will be on sale for a bit. There is no need to run around town, just grab what you need in one place. We are seeing the lowest prices at Staples, Target and Walmart this year with all having very similar sales.
Don’t Forget Coupons
We actually do see coupons for back to school items! Elmer’s, BIC, Paper Mate, Five Star and Sharpie will put coupons in mobile apps like Ibotta or Fetch or directly in store apps. Also watch for store coupons off your entire back to school purchase. We see these every year from Target, Staples, and Dollar General. Use the coupon database to find all the coupons.
Quality Is Worth It
It pays to always go with a higher quality backpack, lunch box and even binders. These take a beating, and in the long run not having to replace them becomes the savings. Many of the higher end brands offer lifetime guarantees that truly make it a deal! Read More→
This zero gravity chair is padded! Get it at Woot for just $43.98 (reg. $82), but don’t wait long because supplies are limited!
Not only is this chair padded, but it also includes a detachable tray with two cup holders, a phone mount, and a tablet holder. Take it with you anywhere because it’s lightweight and easily foldable!
Get yours now:
SereneLife Foldable Outdoor Zero Gravity Padded Lawn Chair – $43.98 (reg. $82)
Shipping is free for Prime members. Otherwise, shipping is $6.
See more online shopping deals!
Walmart has a great deal on select Caboodles right now. Get one for just $15.39 (reg. $22+)! Take all your beauty essentials on the go!
Here are the deals:
Caboodles Vintage On the Go Girl Classic Case – $15.39 (reg. $22)
Caboodles On-The-Go Girl Makeup Box, Silver Sparkle – $15.39 (reg. $34)
Barbie x Caboodles Makeup Organizer 12-Piece Set – $24.98 (reg. $28)
Bluey x Caboodles Makeup Organizer – $24.98 (reg. $28)
These offers are good for a limited time only. Shipping is free with Walmart+ or free with orders of $35+.
See more deals at Walmart.
Save on RTIC soft coolers, tumblers and totes during their Summer Sale. Score items up to 40% off!
Deal Ideas:
30-oz Tumbler – $19.99 (reg. $34.99)
12 Can Soft Pack Cooler – $89 (reg. $249.99)
available in multiple colors
Chillout Backpack Cooler – $54.99 (reg. $159.99)
available in multiple colors
This sale is good for a limited time only. Shipping is free on orders of $35+.
See more online shopping deals!
Want a healthier sweet treat? Use an Ibotta offer with the sale at Kroger right now to get Clio Greek Yogurt Bars for only $2.99!
Kroger Clio Yogurt Deal (ends 8/4):
- Clio Greek Yogurt Bars, 8 pk., $3.99
(ends 8/4)
-$1 off Clio mini Greek yogurt bars, 8-ct, limit 2, Ibotta mobile app
(makes it $2.99)
Check out more great Kroger deals.
If you have been wanting to go to the Georgia Aquarium, don’t miss this deal! There is a rare Groupon offer available.
Right now, score one general admission to the Georgia Aquarium for $50.99, regularly $59.99!
Includes admission to all Aquarium galleries and free general-seating Dolphin & Sea Lion Presentations! If you’ve never been to the Georgia aquarium, it’s a great way to spend the day in Atlanta!
The deal may sell out quickly, so grab tickets now if you want them.
See more travel deals!
This recipe for slow cooker carnitas is so easy and makes a delicious taco! Use the slow cooker to make the meat tender, then shred it and broil in the oven to get the edges crispy.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 lb boneless pork loin roast
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
- the juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup juice)
- the juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, dried oregano, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Rub the pork loin with the spice mixture (the whole roast should be covered).
- Put the roast in the slow cooker. Add the onion, jalapeno, orange juice, lime juice, and water and stir around to combine everything.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Shred the meat in the slow cooker (remove any large pieces of fat) and transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil (use a slotted spoon to do this, but it's okay if some of the juice makes it to the pan).
- Broil on high in the oven for 4-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the meat, though; it can burn easily under the hot broiler!
- Remove from the oven and spoon a little bit of the juice from the slow cooker over the meat.
- Serve with warmed corn tortillas, red onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
See more recipe ideas!
We are in peak growing season and even if you don’t have your own garden, farmers’ markets and produce co-ops are over flowing with great fresh vegetables. The problem comes when you have more than you can eat before it starts to go bad! Today I’m going to share some basic tips on how to freeze fresh vegetables so you can enjoy them all year long.
Before we jump into everything, realize that this can be very small. If you grab a deal on Squash, you can easily freeze an extra bag or two. So don’t just think this applies to folks with squash coming out of their ears!!
How to Freeze Fresh Vegetables
Blanching
For many vegetables, it’s necessary to blanch them before you freeze them. Blanching is a process where you place vegetables in boiling water for a short period of time (see times for each vegetable in our printable guide), then remove them and place them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching helps preserve the quality of the vegetable while it’s in the freezer.
Use a stock pot to boil water. While the water boils, prepare a large bowl of ice water near the stove. Once the water is boiling, place prepped vegetables in the stockpot (it’s easiest to use a metal strainer or mesh colander to do this). Once the vegetables have stayed in the water for the determined amount of time, remove them from the pot and immediately put them into the ice cold water for the same amount of time they were in the boiling water. Then dry them or let them air dry before putting them in the freezer.
Some vegetables don’t need to be blanched before freezing—those are noted on the printable guide at the end of the post!
Canning
Canning is another option for preserving fresh vegetables. You can check out a post on canning I did a bit ago if you’re interested in that method. It’s also super easy, but freezing definitely takes less up front gadgets and containers.
Freezing
You can choose how you want to freeze your vegetables once you’ve blanched them (if necessary). The best way to freeze is either in a Ziploc bag (if you plan to use them soon) or vacuum sealing. You can buy a vacuum sealer on Amazon for about $50, but you will save much more than that in the long run, because you can also use it to vacuum seal meat that you buy in bulk.
Make breakfast easier this week! Combine two offers at this week’s Publix sale to stock up on cereal. After the eCoupon and Ibotta you’ll score General Mills Cereal for as low as 99¢.
Publix General Mills Deal (ends 7/22 or 7/23):
- General Mills Cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Lucky Charms, starting, B1G1 at $4.99 ($2.49)
-.50/1 General Mills Classic Cereal, select 15.6-20.8 oz boxes, limit 5, Ibotta mobile app
-.50/1 General Mills Kid’s Cereal, select 9-50.5 oz, excl Loaded and mega size, limit 5, Ibotta mobile app
-$1/2 General Mills Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Reese’s Puffs, Chex, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams, Kix, Fiber One, Wheaties, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Basic 4″”, Oatmeal Crisp, Loaded, :ratio, Cereal & Granola pouches, Nature Valley Granola pouches, Publix eCoupon
(use $1/2 and Ibotta, makes it 99¢ ea.)
See the full Publix Ad for more great deals.
