To your kids, shopping for new clothes, gear and school supplies may be the only good thing about going back to school, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune. The August issue of Parenting magazine includes these great ideas for securing everything kids need this time of year while saving a few bucks.

1. Hold off on buying trendier gear like lunch boxes and pencil cases. Kids may love a version they find in July, but once they start school and see that their friends are all using another kind, they’ll beg you to upgrade them — and that only results in wasted cash.

2. Shop end-of-summer sales: Kids wear short-sleeve polo shirts all year long. So hit the big summer sales and snap up discounted duds that can be worn well into fall.

3. Stick to The List. The teacher’s supply list at the start of a new school year is daunting enough, so don’t waste time and money on unlisted items. Extra supplies, while they may be cute, will probably never get used.

4. Head to the supermarket for basic supplies. Check weekly circulars for deals on pens and loose-leaf paper, and get your weekly grocery shopping done at the same time. Bonus: Buying everything in one place will save time and gas money.

5. Let your kids raid the home-office supplies, then personalize them in unique ways. For example, decorate inexpensive, plain, white binders with digital photos by creating a collage and inserting the page into the plastic outer cover.

CLICK TO READ ALL 11 TRIPS, AS WELL AS THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING TRIP THAT TESTED A MARRIAGE!