It’s back to school time — and this year, it looks like most students will be back in their classrooms.

In addition to stocking up on masks, this means it is time to pick up pencils, pens, paper and a lot of other school supplies. Many school districts provide parents with a list of specific items to pick up, and that list can be a long one.

With increasing needs for technology (from headphones to tablets), families with students in grades 1 through 12 spent an average of more than $600 on back to school supplies in 2019, the most recent “normal” year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

Here are 5 tips for bringing that bill down:

Take advantage of Sale Tax Holidays. This weekend in Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday weekend! From Friday, August 6 to Sunday, August 8, you can buy school supplies, including clothing, without paying sales tax in Virginia. (Hurricane and emergency preparedness items and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products also qualify as tax-free purchases this weekend.)

Maryland’s Sales Tax Holiday lasts nearly an entire week, from Sunday, August 8 to Saturday, August 14. For more information on Sales Tax Holiday dates and items included by state, visit https://www.taxadmin.org.

Buy in bulk. You may not need 10 reams of printer paper for your one child, but by buying in bulk and sharing supplies (and the cost) with other families, everyone can save! It just takes a little organization with other families to divide-and-conquer that list.

Shop at home first. There’s a good chance that you have leftover school supplies or reusable items from previous years that you can use instead of buying those same things new again. Look in the back of those closets and in your kids’ rooms before going to the store.

Look at the ads. Pick up a newspaper this weekend and look at the ads! A lot of stores are fighting hard for your school supplies budget, and that means big sales. Shop around, take advantage of coupons and do your research for the lowest prices.

Limit the “extras.” A lot of kids get excited about back to school shopping — and as you’re going up and down the aisles, they’ll ask for an extra set of cool, colored gel pens or special notebooks. Limit them to just one “extra” item or ask them to pay for the unnecessary items they want. It can be a valuable lesson!

The exception to the “extras” rule. Feel free to pick up a few extras to donate to those in need. We have teamed up with Alexandria City Public Schools Family and the Community Engagement Center (FACE Center) and Mercy House in Harrisonburg for our 2021 School Supply Drive!

You can drop off your donations of school supplies, as well as monetary donations, now through Tuesday, August 10, at our Main Branch, Richmond Highway Branch and Harrisonburg Regional Branch.

More information about the supplies students and teachers need is available at on our website at cofcu.org/backtoschool.