Back to school is just around the corner.
School supply lists are out, and parents are searching for the best deal on supplies and clothing.
Sandra Fry is an accredited financial counsellor with the Credit Counselling Society. She says inflation is affecting back-to-school budgets, but there are ways to save money.
"I advise people to start shopping at home. The inventory you already have. You know what's leftover from last year," Fry explains. "Kids don't need new sets of pencil crayons, pens or pencils because they've got lots of that stuff left. So start there."
Another thing she says is to make sure parents have a budget set for back-to-school shopping.
"A back-to-school budget should be based on what is going to be affordable for the family," said Sandra. "If you're not saving for those things when they come up, they can cause a deficit in that given month."
When hitting the stores for things like clothing, Sandra says to look at flyers, bring along a list and shop around.
"This is where shopping sales are handy," said Sandra. "You can even teach your kids. This is a good learning lesson for them. The value of getting the store brand versus the name brand, and just showing them you can get this name brand T-shirt, or you can get three store brand T-shirts, and often the store brand is made just as well."
Some other options include purchasing clothing secondhand from thrift shops or online.
Sandra says if you've gotten in over your head and don't know how to budget or manage your money, reach out to a credit counsellor.
Today on Connections, Sandra shares tips and advice on how we can save money when back-to-school shopping.