Five Tips to Manage Last-Minute Back-to-School Shopping

Schools reopen next week, and you may not have had the chance to complete your back-to-school shopping. No need to panic, here are five tips to help you manage your last-minute shopping needs.

1. Prioritise – Purchase the most important things first. Uniforms and textbooks are usually among the most needed items. Find out from the school or teacher which books will be used first and acquire those if you can’t purchase all the items on the booklist all at once.
2. Use a list- Analyse the booklist and make a separate list with all the items that you may have bought previously, which are still needed. That way, you will avoid buying stationery supplies that you already have and save money.
3. Look for discounts- You may feel as though you don’t have enough time but budget a few hours to shop around for the best prices. Take advantage of discounts and other deals from different merchants, so you can reduce what you’ll have to spend in the last-minute rush. Your JN-issued cards, including your debit and credit card, can provide you with discounts at some stores.
4. Use a JN Money Card for Convenience and Safety– If you’re receiving funds from abroad to assist with back-to-school shopping, ask your family or friend to send the cash via JN Money straight to your JN Money card. You can receive funds from overseas directly to the card, which eliminates the need for you to join long lines at remittance agencies during this busy period. The JN Money Card can be used as an ATM card at any MultiLink ATM across Jamaica. It can also be used to make purchases at merchants with point-of-sale (card) machines, such as bookstores or other business places. It eliminates the need for you to walk with large sums of cash too, so you won’t be an easy target for criminals. The JN Money card is FREE. Just visit your nearest JN Bank with a valid government-issued ID and your TRN or go to jnmoneyonline.com to apply. Applicants must be a minimum 18 years old to sign up.
5. Use a Credit Card to Avoid Upfront Costs- Back-to-school shopping can be very expensive. Use your credit card to pay for it so you don’t have to provide cash up front. Based on when you use the card, you can get as much as 52 days to repay, without interest, once you pay on time and in full!  Also, with a JN Bank Visa credit card, you get points when you spend, which can be used at supermarkets and spas or to get phone credit top-ups from Flow and Digicel, benefits from JNGI and JAA, and more.