As kids all sit around at the end of summer upset over school resuming, most parents are also sitting around upset over the amount of money that must be paid out in purchasing school supplies.  If this sounds like you, then check out these great tips for ways to make back to school shopping less painful on the wallet. 

Tip #1.  Does your state offer a tax-free weekend?  Several states now offer this in the late summer before kids go back to school.  Typically, all school supplies, computers, some software, and clothing and shoes are all fair game during tax-free weekends.  Even better, this can be combined with the great sales that stores run at the same time of year.  Being able to save sales tax alone can save huge amounts of money, especially if you are looking to purchase several eligible high dollar items. 

Tip #2.  Back to school sales.  Surely, stores in your area run these specials.  Of course, you purchase some supplies there, but do you purchase enough?  Make sure you purchase plenty of supplies.  If you are running out half way through the year, the supplies you need for the rest of the year are likely to cost a fortune.  When you can purchase whole packs of paper for a mere 10 cents a pack, how can you have too much? 

Tip #3.  Despite what kids may try to say, they do not need a new book bag every year unless their old one is damaged in some way.  Shop through a place like L.L. Bean who have very rugged bags that tend to stand the test of time.  I have seen friends of mine who have the same bag for 10 years easily, this means that at least nine backpacks do not have to be purchased, assuming each bag costs $20 on average, you are looking at saving $180 over the course of the backpacks life.

Tip #4.  How many shoes does a child really need?  While several pairs of shoes are always good, more than four or five pairs is in no way justifiable.  If the child wants more shoes then a part time job for the child would easily take care of any extra clothing and shoes, including the numerous accessories the child wants. 

Tip #5.  Involved in the school band?  If your child plans on playing for several years then look into purchasing the instrument used, or even new might be cheaper overall than the yearly rental fees, plus deposit that is required.  Plus added benefit is, if the child decides not to play anymore, then you are always able to sell the instrument and recover some of your money later on. 

Go ahead and get creative in saving money.  Back to school expenses really add up, the more kids you have, the more it can hurt.  Looking for ways to save a few bucks can have a substantial impact on the amount of money you have left in your wallet and bank account after finishing all of your shopping.