Back to school: Tips for saving money when buying school supplies

DAYTON — Back to school season means it’s time to spend some money, but that doesn’t mean shoppers can’t save a few bucks here and there.

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The average family will spend about $900 to get their kids ready for the school year, according to the National Retail Federation.

But could tactics like extreme couponing help families save even more money before kids return to the classroom? I-Team Consumer Reporter Xavier Hershovitz went to find out.

Kiersti Torok, a TikTok influencer and extreme couponer, helps her 3 million followers save money with couponing tips.

“Stop letting these stores own you,” Torok said, “You can go through your cart and scan each item and then you click on the item and the coupons will be right beneath.”

Torok focuses on couponing for household items like laundry detergent and cleaning supplies, but she still finds ways to save big on school supplies.

Torok and Hershovitz went to Target in Centerville to test out her skills. The pair grabbed basic school supplies and scanned each to see if there was a coupon available.

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“Let’s check out this receipt. Looking at it—it looks like everything we got was on some sort of sale, but none of the coupons must have been applicable for what we bought because there is no extra savings anywhere else,” Torok said as she reviewed the Target receipt.

They also stopped by a local CVS and Walgreens where they were able to secure some discounts and gift cards for spending a certain amount.

Torok said back-to-school deals are better than the coupons right now, so she recommends to do research before going out, check the sale ads and make sure you go to the stores with the best deals.

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