This post is sponsored by RetailMeNot, Yours for the Saving ™
(pssst…there’s a $200 Visa Gift Card Giveaway at the end of this post!)
Confession: Those Back to School Ads we’re pretending to be all sad about–all “Don’t end my summer so fast!” hold-it-back about? Yeah, those. Pssst: I love them. Listen, nothing makes me happier than the first day of summer, and I am ALL IN when it comes to shutting down the school scene and going balls-to-the-walls Summer Bucket List in June. Give me June and July. But come August 1, I’m ready for a shift of season. LET ME SNIFF ALL THE PENCILS! Rev the buses, pick out the backpacks, buy the gym shoes! It’s time for BACK TO SCHOOL, and everything about this time of year brings back all the feels. Suddenly, I am seven, my first-day-of-second-grade outfit is hanging up six days in advance (black mini skirt, hoop earrings, yellow slouchy sweater–way old for my age, but I’m thrilled, thanks Dad), and all I can think about is when I’m going to bust out my new purple jelly shoes. Second day of school? Third day? Play it cool and wait for the second week of school?
While getting ready for another year of school can be stressful, I’ve always loved the buzz of excitement that comes from preparations.
The unboxing of the Back-to-School Gym Shoes:
Back-to-school shopping is one of those fun things for us, but let’s face it–watching your bank account get smaller is never fun. So, how do we shop for the season, add new things to start the school year, take part in all the fun without completely blowing our fall budget (save some budget for earthy fall candles come September!).
The answer? We shop smart. I have two rules for myself when it comes to back-to-school shopping.
A): Don’t get swept up in the NEW NEW NEW EVERYTHING! lies. Like Christmas, advertising this time of year can flood us with the idea that we need new everything–backpacks, lunch boxes, wardrobes, desks, homes, husbands, cars…you get it. I try to stay smart and not buy into the lie that we need to ditch all the old things for new, shiny pretty things for the start of the year. Not everyone’s getting a new lunch box this year, and if it ain’t broke, we don’t fix it.
B): Use your resources. Tax-free weekends. Coupon codes. E-mail deals. Big sales. Shopping apps.
Which brings me to a secret weapon in back-to-school shopping (and any-time-of-the-year-shopping): RetailMeNot.com.
Have you used it? Instead of hopping around to a hundred different shops to see if they have deals or sales or coupon codes, it puts all the deals in one place. Whether you shop online or in a store, you’ll find thousands of coupons, deals, cash back offers and discount e-gift cards for all your favorite stores and restaurants, and you can combine offers for extra savings!
How do we use it?
First of all, I’m all about free shipping. It’s my kryptonite in getting me to buy something because I HATE paying shipping. You can search RetailMeNot just for shops that have free shipping deals.
For Back to School deals, you can search the RetailMeNot app for deals based on categories…
We used it this year for our gym shoes, one of the things we buy new for our kids at the end of every summer. It only took an extra few seconds to do our gym shoe shopping through RetailMeNot, and we ended up saving over $20. In seconds, we had a 15% off Foot Locker coupon code we used (LKS17YKC) for shoes we had been eyeing for Nella and Dash…
And of course you know what happens when two little siblings get new gym shoes…
You have to test them out with a race.
“Will these make me go fast?” Dash asked.
“ROCKET FAST,” I told him.
What is it about these cute little gym shoes that makes me all excited to send them off to school?
One of my favorite things about RetailMeNot is that I’ve gone to buy something on a site I love before and quickly remembered to check RetailMeNot only to find there’s a deal I could have missed out on had I not checked. And for shops you visit locally, your RetailMeNot app will alert you to nearby offers that can be redeemed directly from your phone at checkout.
Here’s the bonus. Our friends at RetailMeNot are giving one of our readers a $200 Visa Gift Card to go towards all your Back-to-School shopping needs. Follow the steps below for your chance with win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now, about those gym shoes. Lace up or velcro?
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to eligible legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. at least the age of majority in their jurisdiction. Begins: August 1 at 9:00:00 AM ET. Ends: August 11, 2017 at 8:59:59 AM ET. Subject to Official Rules available at http://mediakix.com/sweepstakes-kellehampton/. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Mediakix LLC.
I think the Kohl’s Extra 15% Off Sitewide + Free Shipping on $75+would help get them great clothing, shoes, and backpak to start the new year off right.
Thanks for the great tips! Going to remember to use the RetailMeNot ap when doing my bts shopping – Kohl’s, Penney’s, etc 🙂
Target is one of my go to stores for everything, especially school supplies and kids clothes. Cute stuff for a great price.
That BOGO 1/2 off deal at Famous Footwear is perfect for my two boys… smokin’ hot deal!!
Have loved Retail Me Not for ages! I do not have children yet, but I love participating in school supply drives for the non-profits I volunteer with. Anything we can do to start the kiddos off right!
The Kohl’s discount is a MUST!!
Target is my favorite store for EVERYTHING. Hands down.
Shoes! Times four! Clearly I’m stressing…thanks for the tips 🙂 It all helps!!
Maternity clothes to get this teach through the third trimester ????????
I like the Kohls extra 15% off and free shipping. I love Kohls and can not always get there so when they offer free shipping I definitely need to do some online shopping.
The discount codes for Target and Kohls will come in helpful with all the shopping coming up in the next couple weeks.
The Target school supplies are a must
Target school supplies!!
I use Amazon a ton for back to school items! I also enjoy Target and find lots of our school supplies there.
The Kohl’s discount thrills me for cute new clothes for fall!
We also are looking for new tennies:) thanks for the tips!
Definitely the Kohl’s deal!
Used the coupon code for Foot Locker! BTS sneakers done!
I love Kohl’s, so the site wide percentage off and free shipping is perfect for all the back to school essentials I may need!
I actually bought the 58% Off Mpow Bluetooth Headphones from Amazon last week and I am very impressed with the quality. I also will check out the Teavana sale. We’re homeschoolers so I don’t need to do any traditional back to school shopping. We do drink a lot of tea while we read and study in the fall though!
Kohl’s rocks for school clothing.
The Target school supplies get me every time. I take the kids on dates to pick out their folders and pencils… I love seeing that Target still looks like the lowest prices! Score!
The famous footwear bogo 1/2 off plus 15% will be a huge saver for our family of 5, when back to school shoe shopping this year!
Target for all our school supply list. Want to try Kohls for their 15%off and free shipping oportunity. Thanks for your advise.
I love retail me not, my go to when shopping. I’m going to use the crazy 8 and children’s place coupons for sure.
The target school supplies – always and forever.
The Target School Supplies Starting at $0.99 are great!
Thank you!
The Target and Famous Footwear Deals look like winners!
Carters 15% off is a deal I will use for my girls who are starting kindergarten and preschool this year. Also may snag an outfit or two for my little man who is 5 months in a week! One stop shopping!!
15% off at Kohls works for me!
I’d consider the Famous Footwear deal since we buy new gym shoes each year, too. And jeans and shirts that have suddenly become highwaters at summers end 🙂
I have 3 teenagers, the PACSUN deal is great!
Wow! Love the deals on Target, Kohls & Amazon!
The 20% off of clothing at Sears looks amazing for BTS shopping. I get a lot of my son’s clothing there, so the extra savings would be great.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
I like the cash back deal from Finish Line since new shoes are something we do every year too.
Looooooove some Target .99 cent school supplies!!
Love Retail Me Not! I use them all the time!
Kohl’s for sure. I get the best little boy clothes there and for the right price!
Target supplies starting at $.99 for the win!
I’m always a sucker for Target ????
My oldest son is starting preschool so I’m a newbie at shopping for school for kids. Thanks for the tips!!
The planners at Target would help keep my high schooler on track!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Sorry – I’m not ready for summer to end! I need all the Travel Deals for Summer’s Last Hurrah. #WeHaveAnotherMonthOff #Crap
Target school supplies!
Definitely Target, that’s where we do all of our back to school shopping.
There’s always a 40% off for Hobby Lobby on the app which comes in handy when you fall in love with an item that’s not included in that week’s sales. Thanks for the reminder to use the app more often!
I like the Famous Footwear deal.
I have a 15 and a 17 year old – it’s all about the kicks/jeans/shirts! My girl Madison says she wants new Nike’s for tennis, new jeans, and a bunch of comfy t-shirts – because being a Junior in High School – it’s not a best dress show anymore – it’s all about being comfortable and making those good grades! LOVE your blog. I have been with you here since the beginning……Thank you for the opportunity to win! xoxo Sherri
Target sales on school supplies are awesome!
Target is a great back to school must go place for us. Love to get the school supplies there at great prices and also loving some of their Genuine Kids by Osh Kosh line for the Toddler clothing!
Awesome! I will have to check this out!
Love using Retail Me Not for coupon codes anytime I’m shopping online.
Target! Target! Target!
The sunrise alarm clock at Amazon may be the trick we need to get our hard-sleeping 6 year old to wake naturally (and on time) for school.
I don’t have kids, but I work at a school and LOVE back to school sales! I just used retailmenot to buy something at Kohl’s this morning, actually
Love the cute sneakers for your kiddos. I plan to do shopping at Target for a new lunch bag and school supplies for my son. Thanks!
My daughter is starting part time 3k this year. Even though its part time…you know I’ll still be getting “school stuff” like a backpack and new shoes. The Kohl’s deal is looking pretty good for that!
Famous footwear has buy one get 50% off clearance and for as quick as my boys grow out of shoes, this is a great deal!!
Does one need a child in school to be excited about back to school shopping? I hope not! For sure eyeing the 70% off shoes at Nordstrom Rack
Agh, I’m really torn. I like the 15% off at Kohl’s because they make these shorts that girls can wear under there dresses so they don’t flash underwear while playing. I get those for my daughter every year. If they exist somewhere else, I don’t know about them. I would use this for sure.
I wish I had known about the 6pm deal. I JUST bought some kid’s dress shoes from there.
But my heart is with Starbucks. Have you tried the Midnight Mocha Frap?
I love new school supplies for my girl!!
Kohls 15% off plus free shipping would be great
Kohls 15% plus free shipping would be great.
The Old Navy savings!
Love!
I think Amazon Prime!
I love the extra 15% off at Kohls. Both my kids grew so much this summer, and need back to school clothes and shoes. Such a great giveaway!!
RetailmeNot is pretty awesome. I’ve used them many times. I could definitely use a kid’s backpacks at Kohls, Target, or Amazon.
Walmart for school supplies – they even have the list of supplies for each school Winning!
Definitely the Bed, Bath, and Beyond deals. BTS hits coincidentally right when we need to change up my son’s room. BBBeyond would be perfect.
I’ve already been using RMN for Kohls and Target this summer for Back to School shopping for all 5 of my kiddos! Love it!
15% off at Kohl’s and free shipping on $75.
I love Target for school supplies!
Definitely need the Footlocker code. With 4 kiddos shoes are a must!
Thanks
Target back to school deals for sure!
I love using retailmenot.com for Carters, Khols and Gap
Famous footwear looks to be a good deal!
Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Just moved into a new apartment and would be very convenient!
People love that site. Guess I need to try it. We have almost a month before back to school
The Kohl’s deal looks good for our needs!
Target school supplies!!!!
Target always has my heart! It’s the first place I go for BTS shopping!
Def. shoes. Always a challenge here.
Target school supplies starting at .99 could be good.
Kohl’s all the way!
I’m excited about the H & M, Kohls and Amazon deals for my two teenagers. Thanks for offering a giveaway!
Target always has just about everything we need for back to school. One stop shopping! Plus their cat and jack line is adorable. Retailmenot is great, I try to always remember to check it before I hit submit on my online purchases.
I like the .99 cent school supplies at Target. This would help my kids get ready for school.
I always forget about Retail Me Not. Pac Sun tshirts are a favorite at my house. I I will use Retail ME Not to buy them! Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for the tips! Love the Kohl’s coupon and all amazon deals!!
25% off Hanna Anderson shoes!
That’s a good one!
Love using retailmenot in store and online when doing bts shopping, and shopping all year round.
Bed bath and beyond!
Target school supplies starting at $.99! Woohoo!
We love Target!! You can buy everything the kids need there. All three of my kids are covered after a couple of hours spent there.
The 15% off coupon from Kohl’s would be very helpful for getting my family ready for school.
The .99 school supplies at Target would be great for our preschool co-op this year!
I think that the Kohls deal is awesome. They always have great items on sale!!
Khol’s Rock!!! The amazon prime is also a good deal!
My teenage daughter would love for me to use the 20% code at Charlotte Russe for her back to school shopping! Thanks for the chance to win $200! I love following along on your blog and Instagram …and love RetailMeNot!
I am loving the Kohl’s Deal. I love Kohl’s because I can get clothes for all members of my family with one stop.
Living in the sticks, free shipping would be a game changer, but for local shopping, I love that they’ve got Walmart!
I’d love to get the down comforters at 70% off from Macy’s!
Letting the PTA shop for us this year
I like Gap 40% off
I love the kohls and target deals! I’m a teacher and back to school time really hurts the wallet!!! But I need so many things for my kiddos!
I like the GAP deal. Could always use new clothes!
I love 6pm.com!! And World Market, and 20% off at Bed, Bath & Beyond is great!!
We are in Massachusetts And have more summer time thank goodness! And another family vacation woo! But we are going to try to get some of the school supply shopping done ✅ at Target ???? & Walmart.
The 20% kids clothes at h&m
The free shipping deals always give me the extra incentive to order as well. And give me a deal on kids’ shoes any day!
I love, love, love RetailMeNot and I’m always down for a Kohl’s coupon!
30% off backpacks, thermos & lunch boxes at Target?! Count me in! Thanks Retail me not!
I love the Retail Me Not app. I use it for home purchases, but also as the bookkeeper at an elementary school I use it to help save a few dollars at least a few times a month. Every dollar counts whether it’s my money or the school’s money!
Target’s back to school deals look helpful.
The Kohl’s discount code will be great for BTS clothes shopping for my two girls.
The 15% off Kohls, can get her some cheap gym clothes.
$5 and free shipping on kids shoes at New Balance – we love Dash’s rad red shoes! Red is my son’s fave color and those would look great with his uniforms! Thanks so much for this giveaway!!
Love Kohl’s – you can always take advantage of 30% off (when they are running that sale) by Googling to find 30% off code to use for on-line purchases!!
The Target and Kohls’ deals are great for back to school! Thanks for a fun giveaway!
I love the back to school sales at Oshkosh/Carters, Target, Old Navy, and Justice. The RetailMeNot app is my go to before checking out anywhere!
Thank you Kelle!
Target! I stack the redcard and cartwheel app with the sales plus any manufacturing coupons.
The Famous Footwear deal looks great!
Target back to school savings, for sure.
Love Targets offer of school supplies starting at .99!!
Up to 50% off at JCPenney. With my child going back to college in a few, the JCPenney savings on dorm decor is beneficial.
The Target coupon would help with school supplies!
I love shoes and I’m always on the lookout for affordable, durable shoes for my boys. I love that through RetailMeNot Famous Footware has a buy one get one 50% off coupon!
I’d use the Kohl’s coupon – love the one-stop shopping at Kohl’s!
Target’s back to school .99 cent deals are perfect for getting my little man back to school ready.
I love the back to school smells too! The pencils, notebooks, backpacks!!
I LOVE RetailMeNot! It’s saved me a bunch of money over the years. The most useful back-to-school deal for me will definitely be the Kohls coupon! So many great options on their site.
Target .99 school supplies. Always a winner plus all the deals they have. Kohl’s is another go to for clothes so 15% helps a bunch.
The Target $.99 school supplies look awesome! We all know how many school supplies we need!
will have to check out that BOGO 1/2 off deal at Famous Footwear. My toddler runs through shoes like crazy.
I don’t know where I’ve been that I somehow missed “tax-free weekend sales.” That’s amazing! (Note to self: move RMN app to the front page!)
So not ready for school to start, but love a discount all the same.
I love Retail Me Not & The school supply deals at Target!
Target for everything, all the time! We’ll be buying new “school supplies” for mom this year, because my pre-schooler doesn’t need to supply anything. But I always need fresh pens and notebooks!
Definitely the Kohls deals because we need just moved to Florida and ALL the kids need uniforms!
The Kohl’s discounts are always the best. Need some shoes for the boys!
Kohl’s ship-to-store is the way to go!
I love the Target school supplies code – doing some homeschooling this year with my 3yo and need cute supplies to make it extra appealing for us.
I love the dollar section at Target. Perfect distraction to a 4 year old who “NEEDS” everything.
I always use RetailMeNot before I make purchases online, but I never knew they had an app! The buy one get one at Famous Footwear is just what I needed to get my new preschooler some fall school shoes!
I would use the 15% off and free shipping deal at Kohl’s
I love the Kohl’s offer at RetailmeNot. Would definitely check that out. And I vote for laces – after they are old enough to tie them by themselves. Before that, velcro!!
I don’t have kids, but I’m all heart eyed about school supplies at Target anyway. Do I need all of ’em? ABSOLUTELY.
The Kohl’s Extra 15% Off Sitewide + Free Shipping on $75+ deal looks useful for picking up kids clothes and shoes!
Retail me not is one thing that convinced me to finally get a smartphone!
The H&M 2.99!sale would be perfect for my daughter! I love back to school shopping, but not the whole spending money thing!
The Kohls 15% off will definetly be helpful for getting those back to school uniforms! Such a useful website!
Famous Footwear is my favorite. My 12 year old now wears Size 13 shoes and those puppies aren’t cheap so coupon codes are a big help.
Definitely the Target school supplies! I have 3 kids and supplies really add up!
I like the 30% off at World Market!
The Target back to school deals look great!
The Target school supplies starting at $0.99 deal looks really great–saving on supplies is always so helpful…especially when the list you have for them is long!
Kohls is a great option for sales upon sales. Target is usually my next stop. Excited about RetailMeNot as an additional option!
The Kohl’s discount and the Famous Footwear discounts would be terrific. My son is so hard on shoes. He’ll definitely need a new pair or two before school starts!
The Target deals sound wonderful!
Already started hitting up the Target deals for my classroom!
Target is where it’s at!
Someone else had mentioned this site to me. Thanks forthe reminder!
Needed new shoes for my 2 boys – Famous Footwear BOGO deal! Yes!
Love the shoes! Now my kids are getting older shoes do not last as long. I try to hoard shoes that I buy on black friday. You know your kids will continue to grow so i get the sizes in advance that I think they will need. I love Retailmenot! I hate paying for shipping as well. Often if a site doesn’t offer free shipping, I don’t order from them.
I’m getting ready to go back to school myself, so the RMN deals on clothing would help me out with new clothes for school!
We always pick up our school supplies at Target, so any deals there are always appreciated!
Love RetailMeNot. And it’s looking good these days! My eyes were also drawn to the Kohl’s deal. Back to school will be the death of our bank account.
I was going to buy my last few dorm items at Target, but that towel sale at JCP is calling to me!! Retail-me-not is one the front page of my phone, and I use it constantly!
Walmart ‘Up to 45% Off College Prepped Savings!’ would be a huge help!
Target with school supplies starting at $0.99?! Yes please! Also, my daughter is 15months old, so the school supplies are for me, for NOT school but I just can’t help buying SOMETHING new this time of year 🙂
I think the world market sale for designing a small space would help set the mood for school work!
I’ll be using the Sears deal to buy my kids some Back to School Clothing. I like Shopping at Sears because I save $ using coupon codes and on top of that I get syw points I can apply towards future purchases. Yay! for extra savings!!!
My kids look forward to school supply shopping the most and Target has the best stuff! That foot locker shoe deal will also come in handy this year 🙂
I love Kohls! Definitely plan to take advantage of 15% off plus free shipping over $75!
I like the School Supplies Starting at $0.99 at Target deal.
It’s definitely always shoes that are needed! We squeak thru the summer in just our old ones and some fun summer shoes. And a backpack if the old one didn’t make it through the last year. And always some extra stuff to stock up the teacher’s supplies! (pencils, paper, sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, tissues…etc.) =-)
After kindergarten it’s laces only. My kids have big feet anyway so it’s hard to find Velcro past kindergarten for them. I’ve used retailmenot for years. Never check out without seeing if there’s a coupon code!
That Amazon Prime deal is a steal, i can’t tell you how many times 2 day shipping has saved me, and 6 months free? Yes please!
Wow! I have not been to this website before! Would be so handy for Christmas shopping as well as back to school shopping. I am disabled, so the discounts for Amazon reach out to me for comfort and ease. Prime membership for returning college student is a great deal as we have Prime ourselves at home. Also Macy’s discounts appeal for college student. Finally, gray Olive Garden discount along with a gift card to escape dorm food. Thank you for this introduction to RetailMeNot! And thank you Kelle for your awesome blog!
Target!! My go to for almost everything!!
Target $0.99 back to school supplies of course! ????
Pottery Barn Kids
I love using RetailMe Not! I always pull it up when we go back to school shopping
I would totally take advantage of the Amazon deals. I an OT in the school system working with children with significant delays. Our sewing machine is on it’s last leg, so I would use this gift card for a new machine to help adapt classroom tools for my students!
Also go through Ebates.com to get money back when shopping online!
Love Retail Me Not! It’s my go to for searching coupons codes, but why did I never think to use it at Target. Saw it on the BTS page and I’ll have to give it a try!
I would definitely use the Kohls discount for clothes!
I love Kohls and they have the 15% off deal for back to school! Can’t wait to grab some new backpacks and lunch boxes for my girls.
Target deals starting at .99! It’s an annual back to school experience!
We need back-to-school shoes especially for the run club! I think the Retailmenot app would be the best options for us.
This is the time I stock up on arts and craft supplies for the year. School supply sale time when glue is 25 cents a bottle, crayons and my favorite water color paint boxes. Marker that usually cost $3 a box come down to 99 cents so we can fill up on all the exotic color packs.
Love the shoes! I personally like the Target deal. I have two in school this year and need all the savings I can get on school supplies.
I LOVE those Shoes!! Retail me Not is actually my go too for deals..BUT did not realize there was an App! Thanks for this awesome 411!
Love Target and Kohl’s!
The Kohls 15% off and free shipping on $75+ looks like a great deal!
I just signed up for a free sample of EmergenC I saw on Retail Me Not. Because back to school germs are a thing.