Tips for Saving Money and Time on Back to School Shopping

The back to school shopping season can be stressful for both parents and children. The beginning of the new school year is hectic but there are some ways parents can save time and money (and hopefully some sanity) as the summer vacation comes to an end.

Planning and shopping for school supplies ahead of time is a great way to save money. Instead of waiting until August to buy all of your child's school supplies, be on the look out all year long for savings on items that students usually always need. Most late-elementary aged students and older will always be required to have pencils or pens, paper, notebooks, a binder, and folders. Many stores put items like these on clearance during the winter or spring, when demand is down. Use those sales to stock up on those school supplies and beat the rush at back to school time. I was once able to buy incredible quantities of pencils and paper once when a local office supply store was going out of business, so pay attention around town for those kinds of sales.

Know the specific items your child needs. Find this out through Open House at school or by picking up a list from the kiosks stores now have with lists specific to schools and grade levels. Then take stock of items you already have and what you still need. If your child still has perfectly good crayons from last year, there's no need to buy a new box.

Set up and stick to a reasonable budget with your child. Children who can grasp the concept of budgeting money will learn a valuable lesson on wants and needs if they only have $100 to spend on school supplies, a book bag, a pencil box, and a lunch box. They will soon learn that they might not be able to get all of their supplies decorated with the latest pop star. You can take a similar approach with buying back to school clothes.

Make sure to shop around for the best deals if you get caught up in the back to school frenzy. Check newspaper circulars and stores' websites for the latest deals and coupons. If you catch a "free shipping" sale, skip the crowds and do some of your shopping online.