Dear Lifehacker,

I need a ton of stuff for the new school year. With all the back to school ads everywhere, this seems like an ideal time to buy it all, right? Or are those all marketing tricks? Are there some things I should wait to buy until after the semester starts?


Signed,

A Scholar

Dear Scholar,

Yes, back to school shopping season is in full swing; in fact, as the second most profitable season for retailers (after Christmas), the sales have been starting earlier every year. According to the National Retail Federation, the average household spends $808 on college or $603 on elementary and secondary school during the back to school season.


Generally speaking, start shopping now if you want to get the most savings. This is especially true if you're lucky enough to live in a state offering tax-free shopping holidays (check out the table at Bargain Jack to find out when the holiday applies to you so you can plan your shopping accordingly). So yes, now is a good time to buy a lot of things, but there are a few items you may want to wait to buy until after school starts. Here are some shopping tips:

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What to Buy Now

On sale: typical school supplies like notebooks and index cards: College students, parents of high school or younger students, and everyone else can benefit from the crazy deals at office supply stores now for things like pens and post-it notes. You can find some items for a penny in some cases—the retailers just want to get you in the door. So stock up on those "loss leader" items, noting the item limits.


For College Students Staying on Campus

Regardless of sales, if you're heading off to college for the first time and are staying on campus, you'll definitely want to buy, before you get to college, the personal dorm items you can't share with a roomate or your floor. Many of these you'll also find in the back to school sales, however.


You'll need, from day one:

Personal Essentials:

Extra-long twin bed sheet sets (and pillow, comforter, mattress pad)

At least two sets of towels

A shower tote

Laundry hamper

Robe

Slippers or flip-flops

Alarm clock

Desk lamp and/or booklight for late night studying without disturbing your roomie

A couple of plates, bowls, mugs, and utensils

Computer and Other Tech Essentials

If you don't have a computer for school yet, consider buying one now so you can set it up in time for when school starts. As noted in our "Best Times to Buy" guide for 2011, August is a good time to buy older computers and laptops because of the back to school season (and newer systems are getting ready to be introduced). Laptops will continue to be a good value through September, though—student discount incentives from Apple and Microsoft expire at the end of that month.


Check out our previous suggestions for college tech essentials for your first year of college and make sure you grab those student discounts.


Stuff to Make the Most of Your Space

Though not absolutely imperative that you get these right now, you'll also probably find these storage solutions on sale now, and if you want to get organized from day one, it's best to have these at the ready. (College dorms are hardly ever described as spacious, so you'll need all the organizing tools you can get.)


Bed risers so you can fit more under your bed

Under bed storage boxes

Stackable desk trays

Surge protector—outlets are in limited supply

Stuff to Wait on Buying

More school supplies: A week after school starts, retailers drastically reduce school supplies, so one strategy is to buy just the basics that are heavily discounted (the "loss leaders" mentioned above), and then wait until a little later to get the rest of your supplies for the best deals.


For College Students Staying on Campus

Emergency/Household Basics: You'll probably also want to have on hand a flashlight, batteries, first-aid kit, and sewing kit, but these are items you can pick up at any time.


Appliances and cookware: Appliances like a coffee maker or toaster oven may make your dorm more usable, but if you're sharing a room, it's best to wait until after the semester starts so you can see what your roomate has brought. You don't need two mini-fridges. Also, cookware goes on sale in October, so if you can wait a month, you'll be able to save some dough.

Furniture and decorations: Also avoid buying furniture or dorm decorating items until you've seen your room and the space available to you. You probably won't need a desk, dresser, bookshelf, or even a wastebasket.


Stuff you can borrow: Wait until you absolutely need it the stuff you can easily borrow, like an iron and ironing board or a hand vacuum.

Don't Buy, But Bring from Home

Remember to bring pictures (and lots of them), as well as your favorite shampoo or other toiletries.


There's lots of other stuff you may need for the school year, but to save money (and spend less than the average $808 parents spend on college or $603 on elementary and secondary school), try to find ways you can reuse some things from home. Do you really need new pens and pencils if you have them lying around the house? Maybe you can reuse old notebooks that aren't full. And what's wrong with last year's clothes that you need new "back to school" clothing (unless you're a parent of rapidly growing school children, in which case I sympathize on the clothng needs)?

Finally, if you're heading off to college, a tool like College Packing List can help you remember what you need to bring.


Good luck for your new school year!

Love,

Lifehacker

P.S. Got any other college or school shopping advice? Let's hear them in the comments.


You can follow or contact Melanie Pinola, the author of this post, on Twitter.