Saving Strategies on Back-to-School Supplies and Clothes
The following article was originally posted on Jessicascoupons.com a site focused on finding practical ways to save money. We love it so much we asked her if we could share it with all of our readers as well. Thanks Jessica!
It’s Back-to-School time again and that can be hard on the budget- school supplies, books, fees, tuition, clothing, shoes, backpacks…..So if you haven’t tried Plastic Jungle- now it the perfect time!
What is Plastic Jungle?
What is Plastic Jungle?
Plastic Jungle it is a great website were you can sell your un-wanted gift cards and you can also purchase Gift Cards at a discounted price! You can save up to 30% off your next shopping trip (that’s on top of any store sales, coupons, or specials they might be running). And they offer FREE SHIPPING when you buy!
How much of a discount?
Discounts range from 4% to 30%…it just depends on the type of gift card.
How much can 4% really save me?
Well…let’s say you spend $100 a week on grocery and necessity items- That equals $5200 a year! You can currently purchase a Walmart Gift Cards at a 4% discount…so you save $208 per year -that is pre-coupon.
Do I use Plastic Jungle?
Well…before I had teamed up with Plastic Jungle for this promotion, I had heard of the company, even posted about them here on this blog, but I never took the time to thoroughly look into it, BUT after looking around on the site at all the merchants that are available…I am now. Not only to save on cards I will use personally (like Target, Darden, & Children’s Place), but also for the cards I plan to gift to others.
Savings Strategies
As some of you know, I do coupon classes. I like to teach folks that you can stretch a dollar pretty far with a little effort and strategy. The great thing is is that you aren’t really limited as far as retail goes. I think everyone initially associates coupons with “grocery items” BUT I have personally learned to save in pretty much every retail category….and quite honestly….I get the good stuff. I am not a brand snob, BUT there are brands I prefer. I have learned with a little strategy and shopper savvy, you can save at least 50% if not more off retail prices.
Saving on Children’s Clothing
I have learned to dress my kids in the cute little Boutique and Department Store brands probably for less than most folks spend at there local “mart” store. (Now there is nothing wrong with “mart” stores, I buy clothing from there also. If I see something I like and the price is right I go for regardless of the name on the tag.)
However, I say that to say this…People would be surprised at how little I spend on the “expensive” clothing my kids wear. I have learned to combine sales, coupons, rewards programs to maximize my savings. Plus, I purchase out-of-season and I stock-up when a sale is hot! I can tell you right now- my oldest son is in size 3T; however, I am already stocked up on 4 and even have several 5 items put up and ready to go. I do the same thing with shoes. I have 3 pairs just waiting on the shelf.
Here is a practical example!
A few weeks back if you remember, The Children’s Place released their latest coupons including Save 30% when you spend $60…so quickly you could have easily turned the 30% Off Savings into 40% Off Savings if you had purchased the card above from Plastic Jungle. You could turn that into more savings thru shopping their sales and clearance and using their Rewards Program Perks Points*
*Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend. For every 75 points you collect you receive a Place Perks Rewards coupon good for $10 off your next in-store purchase.
Scenario
-Purchase the $82 Card from Plastic Jungle for $73.80 (10% Savings)
-Use the 30% Off $60+ Coupon (30% Savings)
-Spend $75 and earn a $10 Certificate to the Children’s Place (Rewards Program)
Now you can stretch the savings even further when you hit the clearance rack…you can save 30%-70% off or more!
Like right now they have select boys Henleys for $4.99 (Reg. $12.50)
Flip Flops for $.39 (Reg. $3.50) Cargo Shorts for $5.99 (Reg. $11.98). PJ Sets $7.50 (Reg. $12.50) and matchable shorts, tanks, and tees for $2.99 (Reg. $6.50)
Transaction Scenario
8 Henleys $39.92 ($100 Retail)
3 Pair of Flip Flops $1.17 ($10.50 Retail)
6 Pair of Cargo Shorts $35.94 ($71.88)
3 Sets of Matchables $17.94 ($39.00 Retail)
3 Sets of PJs $22.50 ($37.50 Retail)
Pre-Sale Retail Prices $258.88
Total $117.47 (-$141.41)
Less 30% (-$35.24)
Total $82.23
Use the $82.00 Gift Card that you paid $73.80 for (-$8.20)
Get $10 Back in a Rewards Certificate to Use on a Future Purchase
You just scored $258.88 worth of clothing for $73.80 & Earned a $10 Gift Certificate to boot. So including the certificate you have saved $195.08!!!!!
Plus not to mention you have 29 articles of clothing…that is about $2.50 per piece…can you beat that at your local “mart” store???
So that was just one example of how I save on Clothing. It can easily be done with a little strategy and planning.
Jessica is a wife and mother of 2 beautiful boys (Liam age 3 and Reese age 1) She loves to shop…a lot, so she had to learn to save. Jessica saved almost $10,000 over 40 weeks in 2009 and on her blog www.jessicascoupons.com, she teaches others how to stretch their hard earned money while still enjoying the best brands and hottest products.
