Oftentimes, parents worry during back to school season due to the seemingly never-ending lists of expenses. As if the rising cost of tuition weren’t enough, parents need to spend on clothing, books, lunches, and other items that more often than not make a dent in your bank account. However, there are certain measures you can do to save some money during this crucial time of the year, without sacrificing the quality of your child’s education.

The first tip is to make a list of what clothing items your child needs. Scan his closet, and determine what articles of clothing are missing that he needs for school. He will need a decent amount of shirts, underwear, socks, and pants to make it through one school week and all the school activities in between. Once you have decided what it is you need, check out alternatives such as bargain stores and thrift shops for children’s clothing that are inexpensive yet are in good quality. Creativity and patience will go a long way, because clothing tends to take up a major part of the school year budget so finding clothing in alternative areas can save you a lot of money.

In terms of school supplies, go through your child’s leftover items from the previous school year, and check if he has any other items that can still be placed to good use. You don’t have to buy an entire set of new items, because certain things can still be used, such as last year’s rulers, protractors, leftover glue and pencil cases still have a long life span. Your child may also have some pencils and crayons that simply need some sharpening to be as good as new.

Carefully inspect the list of requirements sent by the school. When scouting bookstores and other supply shops, make sure you stick to the list and avoid buying things your child doesn’t necessarily need even if it makes a great bargain.

Keep an eye out for sales that happen throughout the year. To ease the financial burden of the following school year, it might be easier for you to purchase sale items that occur in the middle of the school calendar, and can be kept aside for your child’s use.

Check out second hand bookstores for books that your child can use. Books for all levels of schooling can cost an arm and a leg if you buy brand new, but scoping out second hands won’t affect the quality of your child’s education yet can save you a lot of money. Hand-me-downs from friends or relatives can also help ease the financial burden of buying books.

Buy as needed, and avoid stocking up because stocking up often leads to a huge amount of unnecessary items. You might want to wait a week or two into the school year to determine exactly how many pencils or other supplies your child actually uses, therefore reducing your purchases by as much as half if you overstock.

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