Back-To-School Money Saving Tips

According to the National Retail Federation families with students in grades K-12 are expected to spend $548 on school gear this year and a startling $618 for those college-bound. What’s more – nearly nine out of 10 Americans are making changes to their back-to-school plans this year as a result of the economic climate.

To help families make the most of their back-to-school budgets, personal finance expert and Yahoo! Finance Columnist Laura Rowley is sharing tips on how a little creativity, combined with the right cost-cutting tools, can help families save.

Rowley’s budget-savvy back-to-school tips include:

• Shop Thrift stores: Thrift and consignment stores have many of today’s top fashions, all for a discount (value of $100)

• Or, procrastinate: Some of the best-deal bargains are offered after Labor Day (value of $25)

• Prescription saver: Back to school means back to seasonal colds. Ask your pediatrician for generic medications (value of $100)

• Ask for coupons: When shopping in department stores, ask for unknown coupons behind the counter (value of $30)

• Rethink haircuts: Letting kids grow their hair for Locks of Love can save each year and teaches them about a great cause (value of $85)

• Transform ordinary school gear into extraordinary by jazzing it up at home with stickers, monogram stamps, markers and other personal touches. The result is savings for parents and one-of-a-kind, personalized school supplies kids will want to flaunt (value of $25)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIPS.