Come late July or early August, parents will start fretting about getting their kids ready to go back to school.  The start of a new school year can be quite costly, whether the child is in grade school, high school, or even college. If your child will be attending a private school (K-12), you might inquire to find out if any tuition assistance is available.  If your child is starting college, you always have the option of applying for scholarships and/or grants to help with tuition expenses.  If your child attends public school (K-12), you won’t be faced with tuition costs but there are still many expenses once the school year begins. We have a few tips for parents to use when making plans for the new school year.  These tips apply to parents in any financial situation. Keep all of your family’s school supplies organized in such a way that you will never have to rush to the store at the last minute to buy some item your child forgot to tell you about until 9pm the night before he needs it.  Set aside part of a closet of dresser to store supplies, such as pencils, pens, erasers, notebook paper, composition books, crayons, rulers, and any other supplies your children need.  Take an inventory of what you have before the kids take anything from it.  Keep a copy of it taped near the supplies (with an attached pencil or pen) and get your children into the habit of noting it on the list each time they take something from the supply.  Keeping everything in one place allows you to know exactly what you have on hand, which will prevent you from buying something unnecessarily.

Take full advantage of the often-huge savings you can get during tax-free holidays and tax-free weekends.  Many states participate in these budget-saving weekends and you should try to buy all of your family’s school clothes, supplies, and athletic equipment that they will need for the up-coming school year.  If your area doesn’t participate in the tax-free weekends, ask around and see if you can find a nearby community that does. If you see that you can save on an item by purchasing it in a bulk quantity, then, by all means you should do so, but only if it is an item (like pencils or notebook paper) that you know with certainty you will use.  It makes more sense to buy this way if it truly will save you money in the long run. Instead of driving your child back and forth between school and home each day, check out other transportation options that might prevent you from spending so much money on gas.  If your child’s school is just a few blocks from home, you might allow him or her to ride a bike to school.  If this is not feasible, then check into car-pooling or bus options. If your child hates school lunches, as many children do, make lunches for them to take to school.  You can make some inexpensive lunches if you plan wisely and they may even be healthier for your children than school lunches, depending on the choices available.  Making bag lunches would prevent you from having to give your children money for lunch every day.  At least you would have the satisfaction of knowing that your children were eating something for lunch.  Some kids buy school lunches and never touch them. You may be able to come up with some good money-saving, back-to-school tips of your own if you think hard and plan wisely.  There are always some ways to save a little money if you think ahead.  Remember, a penny saved is a penny earned!

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