Q: Back-to-school shopping kills my budget each year. Is there any way to start the year off right...without spending a small fortune?

A: Rows of freshly sharpened pencils, an unopened box of crayons and a pair of shiny, new shoes will provide a thrill for any child.

As the parent, though, you're the one footing the bill. If the thought of all that back-to-school spending makes your head pound, you're not alone. The National Retail Federation reports that parents of children entering kindergarten through 12th grade plan to spend nearly $700 per child on school supplies, new clothing and shoes this season. That's enough to fill any budgeting parent with dread.

No worries - as always, Catholic Federal has your back! Let us help you navigate the second-largest shopping season of the year with your budget and sanity intact. Read on for 12 ways to save on back-to-school shopping.

While the dust has barely settled on Independence Day festivities, the store shelves are already packed with back-to school supplies and clothes. The sales are underway online and in-store. So, while we still may be thinking sunscreen and summer fun, now is the time to think about saving money on the upcoming school year!

Whether you shop online or in the stores, a little planning can help you save a lot of money. Here’s some tips:

1. Start your shopping early! Doing your homework early can often help you spend less and choose from a better selection of supplies.

Whether you’re hit with a bout of nostalgia for those old school days, or breathe a sigh of relief thinking “Thank goodness, that’s over,” the school supply list that arrives faithfully in your mail or email probably evokes memories. If it’s not memories of your own school days, it’s memories of school supply shopping. And if you dread school supply shopping, you’re not alone.

My children are all grown now, but I can vividly remember our back-to-school shopping trips. I’d have the cart and all three of them would run up and down the aisles, grabbing things and dropping them in the cart while I was saying things like, “Do you really need SEVEN new folders?”and “Don’t you already own a pencil sharpener?”When we’d finally get up to the cash register, there would be a mound of supplies, a huge bill and one shocked mom. 

Pencils, paper and folders can add up really fast, especially if you’re shopping for more than one child. But if you’re careful, it doesn’t have to.