Back To School Bargain Hunting

For kids, back-to-school means new clothes, new lunch boxes, new backpacks and supplies, perhaps even a new desk or computer. For parents, back-to-school means a big outlay of cash, a commodity thats in short supply in many households around the country.

August, 2003 -- For kids, back-to-school means new clothes, new lunch boxes, new backpacks and supplies, perhaps even a new desk or computer. For parents, back-to-school means a big outlay of cash, a commodity thats in short supply in many households around the country.

Parents take heart. Art Beroff, coauthor of The Bargain Hunters & Smart Consumers Field Guide (Avebury Books 2003, available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com) offers these tips for stretching your back-to-school dollars:

Clothing: Shop consignment stores (which sell pre-loved clothes and furnishings at discounts that increase the longer the item sits in the store) for togs that are trendy and sometimes have never even been worn with the original tags still attached. Find consignment stores in your local yellow pages, but remember that as a rule the more affluent the neighborhood, the better the merchandise. (People in tonier areas can afford to buy designer outfits to wear just once or twice and then discard, while those in less affluent areas often must wear things until they wear out.)

Backpacks and supplies: You might not consider flea markets for pencils and notebooks, but they often carry all sorts of office and school supplies as well as backpacks at considerable discounts. You may also find discounted nail polish and makeup-essentials for the teenage girl in your family.

Computers: Go ahead and shop at big-name electronics or office supplies stores. Ask for demos or returns-virtually new machines that cant be sold as new because theyve been running on the store shelf or have been returned by another customer (usually because he or she couldnt figure out the program). These units come at considerable discounts as well as with full warranties and all the software. (Be sure to confirm with the salesperson that all warranties and software exist.)

Desks. Check home improvement stores for deals on build-it-yourself furniture. But even better, buy a used desk from a garage sale or consignment store. Older desks built of sturdy hardwoods will last through your childs school years and beyond while the particleboard models from the home improvement store tend to fall apart within a few years.

In addition to-or instead of-using fuel and shoe leather to shop at brick-and-mortar stores, you can also use your own computer or one at your local public library to shop for kids clothes, lunch boxes, and other school essentials on the hot auction site eBay at www.ebay.com. Shop for computers and peripherals at PriceWatch (www.pricewatch.com), where electronics retailers nationwide offer their best deals. Youll find great buys, but remember that youll pay the shipping on whatever you purchase. Be sure to ask for shipping costs (often theyre listed along with merchandise prices) and then factor them into your budget.

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For more information on The Bargain Hunters & Smart Consumers Field Guide: How To Buy Almost Anything For Next To Nothing! call TC Boodman at (850) 636-4006 or visit http://www.aveburybooks.com.