School is back in session and the school supply shopping is done for the year. Or is it? Maybe there are still some important reasons to head out and do some back to school shopping even though you’ve already finished everything on your child’s supply list. There are some great opportunities to Buy Now Save Later.

Buy Now Save Later

With spiral notebooks costing less than a quarter and summer sandals going on deep discounts, now is the time to take advantage of the savings and get prepared for the coming months.

• Buy school stuff while its on sale: Kids end up going through their pencils and crayons much faster than you expect. When you find the box of crayons on sale for a quarter, buy a few extra. That way you can restock their supply later on in the year when the price goes up to normal.
• Operation Christmas Child: School supplies are great filler items for the shoeboxes that many churches and organizations prepare in early December. Plan ahead and you will be able to add some great items to the shoeboxes for very little out pocket cost.
• Sandals on sale: My kids usually wear sandals for several more months, but the ones they started off wearing at the beginning of the summer are looking kind of worn. Most stores have sandals on sale for 50% off (or more!). You might even want to pick up the next size up so you’ll be ready for next year at half price.

Other Ways to Save Money Later

Now that school is back in session, we will barely turn around and it will be time to shop for Christmas. How can you make the Christmas season a little cheaper? By planning ahead now in August! I’m not talking about shopping and spending money, I’m talking about entering low entry blog giveaways. Low Entry Blog Giveaways usually end up with less than 200 entries and offer some great prizes. These are a perfect way to win Christmas presents now so you will have a stash of ‘stuff’ when it’s time to start checking things off your Christmas list!

Win Christmas Presents Now
There are hundreds of blog giveaways happening right now that have very few entries. It’s not that these giveaways are not legit or that they have bad prizes. The problem with many blog giveaways is that the blogs don’t reach a large audience and the giveaways are just not seen my very many people. That translates to great odds of winning!

I’m not opposed to huge sweepstakes for amazing prizes, but the odds are just not in my favor. If the prize is a trip to Disney or an entire kitchen makeover, then there will probably be thousands of people trying to enter. I’d rather spend my time winning a free movie for the kids or a coupon for a free product.

Where to Find Low Entry Giveaways

Low Entry Giveaways on Facebook: This is a weekly thread where bloggers can list their giveaways that have less than 200 entries. www.facebook.com/LowEntryGiveaways

If you prefer a closed group on Facebook, then you can go to the Low Entry Giveaway Group where bloggers list their low entry contests.

I have several giveaways going on now on Hobbies on a Budget. You have the opportunity to win a Sodastream this week or a sampler box from Red Gold! Just take a look on the right side of the blog to see what giveaways are happening during the week. www.hobbiesonabudget.com

How do you plan to buy now and save later? Got any great tips for how to save money before the rush of the Christmas season? I’d love to hear!