Cheat Codes for Cheaper Back-To-School Spending
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
Join the community
Despite the rising cost of inflation, back-to-school shoppers are expecting to spend about $600 on average on expenses such as clothing, supplies, and books. That’s $130 less than last year’s average.
With the higher cost of living, some shoppers are cutting back: a quarter plan to reduce spending, and 62% (up from 52% in 2025) are more likely to seek out sales this year.
One way to save is a sales tax holiday (also known as tax-free weekends) on back-to-school items. In July and August, many states waive sales tax on clothing, footwear, and other school supplies, helping ease some financial pressure on families.
Tax-free weekends can help you stretch your dollar, and we’ve listed them below by state. But first, here are a few other thrifty ways to stock up for even less.
Buy Secondhand Back-to-School Items
Finding secondhand back-to-school items, like clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes, books, and sports equipment, is easier than you might think. Start with thrift stores, specialty stores, and consignment shops. Marketplaces like thredUp, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace are also great for discovering pre-loved stationery and office supplies. For electronics like calculators, laptops, or tablets, look for refurbished options from Back Market and Swappa that are affordable and more planet-friendly.
Host a Swap
Instead of buying everything new each year, organize a swap with other families in your neighborhood or school. If word gets around, you could host one every season. Swap parties, especially with kids, can sound overwhelming at first, but with a bit of planning and a more methodical approach, they can be quite manageable. We wrote a step-by-step guide on How to Host a Successful Clothing Swap, which works perfectly for school supplies, too.
Get Used Stuff From Friends and Family
Ask friends and family if they have any items on your school supply list that they’d be happy to give away. You can also check out Buy Nothing groups to see whether anyone in your neighborhood is passing along unused supplies. If you have extras, offer them up too.
Repair What You Can
You might have supplies from last year, like a torn pencil case that just needs a little touch-up. Instead of discarding them and adding them to landfills, try repairing them. Here’s The Basics of Mending Your Clothes to help extend the life of your kids’ clothes. The internet is full of repair videos for almost anything. Get your kids involved in the repair work, too.
Statewise List of Sales Tax Holiday
%202.svg){kind=icon}
.png)
