Parents rejoice!  It is the time of the year when the kids are heading back to the blackboard and taking a ride on the big yellow bus.  That’s right!  It is back-to-school time!  That means that it is time to buy school supplies and dress our kids in stylish clothes.  While it usually makes a nice dent in our pocketbook, there are some great ways to save some money when you get started on your shopping trip. 

Here are some tips that should help you save a buck here and there:

1. Check the current ads in your weekly newspaper that comes in the mailbox.  If there is a sale on school supplies, there will be an advertisement, like Wal-Mart, Target, and local stores in your area.
2. Clip coupons.  They are out there.  You just have to find them.  (Consider it a money-saving scavenger hunt *smile*)
3. When buying clothes and accessories online, find places that offer free shipping on your order and buy-one-get-one-free sales.  (OldNavy usually has some great sales and BOGO deals.) 
4. Stock up on the supplies and such when you find the BOGO sales.  Supplies wither away about mid-year, and it is good to keep that in mind while doing your shopping.  It is always good to keep a stock of extra notebook filler paper, Kleenex, and glue/glue sticks.
5. Clothes shopping can become quite expensive, especially if you are shopping for more than one child.  Finding garage sales from now until the time school starts is another great way to save some money on school clothes.  Resell shops are also a great idea.  (The kids will not be too keen to the idea of second-hand clothes, but if you involve them in the shopping process, they may be more inclined to accept the idea as you go along.)
6. Join MyPoints before you shop.  Mypoints gives you points for shopping and completing offers.  You can get so many points for each dollar spent, and when you get so many points, you can cash them in for rewards, like shopping cards, that will help you save some money the next time you shop.  When you get the points you need for the rewards, you just redeem them by submitting a form.  Easy as pie and it will save you money.

Here are some places to find some coupons and deals on your school supply shopping trip:

1. Cool Savings offers Back-To-School deals and coupons to help you on your search for school supplies and clothes for the kids.
2. CouponSurfer is a great place to find coupons and deals for the entire family if you plan on doing a little bit of your shopping online.
3. Check The StarReviews Coupon Page with thousands of coupons from the hundreds of popular websites
4. Look for coupons at Walmart, Staples and Target

Now that you have a few tips to saving money on school shopping, utilize them.  We are going through hard times in America right now, so saving a dollar here and there is bound to take the load off eventually.  I don’t know about you all, but I was dreading spending too much money on school supplies and school clothes for my kids to get them started this school year.