Back-to-School Money Tips for Parents and Students

Back-to-School Money Tips for Parents and Students

Back-to-school season has a way of sneaking up on your wallet. One week you're enjoying summer, and the next you're staring down a list of supplies, fees, clothes, and technology that seems to grow every year. Whether you're a parent outfitting a kindergartner or a college student stocking a first apartment, the costs add up quickly. The good news is that with a little planning and the right financial partner, you can handle the season with confidence instead of dread. Here are practical back-to-school money tips to help you stay on budget and start the year strong.

Start With a Real Back-to-School Budget

Before you set foot in a store, know what you're working with. List every expected expense: supplies, clothing, shoes, technology, activity fees, and any tuition or registration costs. Seeing the full picture on paper keeps you from the panic buying that wrecks a budget.

Then set a spending limit for each category and hold yourself to it. If you're a parent, involve your kids in the process, it's a natural moment to teach them how money works. If you're a student managing your own expenses, a simple budget is the single most powerful habit you can build this year. A free budgeting tool or one of Fort Worth City Credit Union's financial calculators can help you map it out in minutes.

Shop Smart and Time Your Purchases

Not every dollar has to stretch the same way. A few strategies make your back-to-school shopping go further:

• Take advantage of the Texas sales tax holiday. Every August, Texas waives sales tax on most clothing, shoes, and school supplies under $100 per item. Timing your bigger purchases around it puts real money back in your pocket.

• Shop your house first. Last year's backpacks, calculators, and half-used supplies often have plenty of life left. Buy only what you truly need.

• Buy in phases. You don't need everything on day one. Spread purchases across a few paychecks to avoid draining your account all at once.

• Compare before you commit. Big-ticket items like laptops and tablets reward a little patience and price comparison.

Build Savings Habits That Outlast the Season

Back-to-school season is a perfect moment to strengthen your family's saving habits. When you set money aside a little at a time, next year's expenses won't feel like an ambush.

Opening a dedicated savings account gives your school fund a home separate from everyday spending. At Fort Worth City Credit Union, you can open a savings account with as little as $25, and youth accounts are built for younger members, with the quarterly service fee waived for anyone under 18. That makes it easy and affordable to help your child start saving early.

For an added push, Save To Win is a prize-linked savings program that rewards you with entries into cash prize drawings every time you save. It turns building a cushion into something the whole family can look forward to.

When Costs Outrun Your Budget

Sometimes the expenses are simply bigger than what you've set aside, especially when a new laptop, band instrument, or semester of tuition lands all at once. Reaching for a high-interest credit card or a payday lender in that moment can turn a one-time cost into months of expensive debt. There are smarter options.

Fort Worth City Credit Union offers a Back to School Loan designed for exactly these seasonal expenses, giving you an affordable, structured way to cover what you need without the sting of high-interest debt. For smaller, short-term gaps, the SMARTChoice payday loan alternative offers repayment terms up to 90 days at a fixed 18% APR — a far cry from the triple-digit rates payday stores charge. And for college costs that financial aid doesn't reach, the Texas Extra Credit student loan ffers fixed rates as low as 2.74% APR with an auto-pay discount, letting you borrow from $1,000 up to $65,000 per year.

Borrowing from a not-for-profit credit union means better rates, clearer terms, and a lender that answers to you as a member rather than to shareholders.

Teach Students to Manage Their Own Money

If you have a teen or college student, back-to-school season is an ideal time to hand over some real responsibility. Help them open their own checking account, set up a simple budget for the semester, and understand how debit cards, direct deposit, and everyday spending work. These early lessons in financial literacy stick, and they set your student up to make confident money decisions long after the school year ends. A part-time job, a modest budget, and a savings account create a foundation that makes the whole year less stressful, for you and for them.

Your Back-to-School Game Plan

Pulling it together, here's your path through the season: build a real budget, shop smart around the tax holiday, strengthen your savings habits with the right accounts, and lean on affordable, member-first lending only when you truly need it. Approach it this way and back-to-school stops being a financial scramble and becomes a manageable, even empowering, part of your year.

The Bottom Line

Back-to-school season doesn't have to derail your finances. With a clear budget, smart shopping, steady savings, and a trusted local partner, you can send your student off ready for the year, and keep your own financial confidence intact. Fort Worth City Credit Union has helped North Texas families make exactly these kinds of decisions since 1929. Your money should work as hard as your student does. Put it to work.

Ready to get school-year ready? Visit Fort Worth City Credit Union to open a savings or youth account, explore a Back to School Loan, or use their free financial calculators to build your budget. If you live, work, attend school, or worship in Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, Parker, or Wise County, you're eligible to join with a $25 deposit.