Back to school makes a nice dent in parent's wallets. The school supplies that are needed can quickly add up, especially if you are required to purchase expensive calculators and other things. Back to school shopping can be a great time to talk to your children about how to manage their money. The first 2 days of school are often the time when children are given a list of the supplies they need by the teacher. If you are one of the many parents who is visiting the stores on these days, be ready for crowds, long lines, and picked-over supplies. How can you save money on school supplies? Here are some simple steps to follow:

Before school begins, start looking in the newspaper for advertisements. Find out who has the best prices on needed school supplies and make a list of all the different stores and the products they carry. You can pick up some supplies like paper, pens, and pencils before school begins. Many of the simple school supplies can be found in your own home. If you have older children, some of their old school supplies can be passed down to younger children. Pencil boxes, rulers, and calculators can all be found in your home and are a great way to save money. Teach your children how to keep their school supplies in good shape so you can get 2-3 years of use out of them. Those free pens you get from random businesses in the mail are a great way to save on school supplies and a great way to clean up your junk drawer.

When you start shopping for back to school supplies, be sure to ask the store if they price match. Many stores will fight hard to get the money out of your wallet and keeping you in the store longer will do just that. This also means they are more than willing to price match their competitors because they don't want to lose your business. During the month of August and part of September you will see advertisements for 10 cent crayons, 20 cent folders, $1 binders, and many other great deals. Keep in mind that the store you pick may not have the best deal, so be sure to take your shopping list with all the comparisons with you. Take the ad to the competitors store so you can show them that their competitor has a cheaper price and see if they will price match, if they won't, don't buy it from them! Head over to the store with the best deal and pick up the school supplies there. Sure, you may have to make 3 or 4 stops, but the savings on school supplies will be worth it.

During the start of the school year, some states will offer tax-free holidays. If your state offers a tax-free holiday, save all you're back to school shopping for this day! Shopping for school supplies on a tax-free holiday can save you as much as 10% on your back to school supplies.

When you get to the store, stick to your list. Stores like to tempt you with "impulse supplies". Those erasers in your drawer will be just fine; you don't need the 25 cent eraser that is on sale. Extra things like locker accessories, self-stick notes, colored pens, locker shelves, and other things are tempting, but aren't needed. Avoid over-spending by telling your child how much you can spend on school supplies and if they want to purchase any of the extra supplies, they will need to pay for it with their own money. This is a great way to teach your child about proper budgeting skills.

The boring-looking school supplies are the cheapest. For the essentials, you should always purchase the pink eraser with yellow pencils. Once you have the basic supplies, you can allow your child to "splurge" a little on stickers and other things to "dress up" their school supplies. Boring-looking school supplies aren't as fun to kids, especially to girls who like to show off their unique style to their friends.

As your kids get older, the school supplies become more and more expensive. Many kids who are in advanced math courses are required to have scientific calculators. The TI-83 plus is a calculator that is commonly used in advanced math courses in high school. If your child needs this calculator, you better have around $100 ready. Check online for this calculator on Ebay.com or in your local newspapers ads. Many people will sell their used calculator for a fraction of the cost. Garage sales are another great place to shop for back to school supplies. You can find calculators, notebooks, folders, trapper-keepers, backpacks and other supplies for great deals.

Typically your child will be given a list from all their teachers for the necessary supplies. While you can find most of your child's back to school supplies at Staples and Wal-Mart, your older child may need more "technical" back to school supplies. If your older child is in art courses, they will be required to have drawing pencils, erasers, paper, and other supplies. You can find some of these supplies at the store, but because they are "unique", you probably won't find them on a discount like other back to school supplies. If you have a college or university close, shop at their bookstore. Many colleges have all the necessary back to school supplies for their students and you can find great deals on that hard-to-find eraser. You might even be able to pick up folders, paper, pencils, and pens for a cheaper price. If you are alumni to that college or university, you can get a discount on the supplies as well.

Another option you have is to shop late. Take a look at the shopping list and determine if some of the supplies needed won't be used for a few weeks. The weekend before school starts and the first 2 days of school are the busiest time for retail stores to make their money. If you can shop at the stores the following weekend or the next week, you can pick up the needed supplies for a fraction of the price. Since retailers order more supplies to cover the "busy season", they need to get the added inventory off their shelves quickly. You will be able to pick up folders, pens, pencils, and other supplies for a great deal.

Try looking for school supplies at the craft store and the grocery store. Since school supplies have become another holiday to the advertising industry, many stores are trying to get their fare share of the cash. Shop off the beaten path to find supplies at stores you wouldn't imagine selling school supplies.

The dollar stores are another great place to pick up school supplies and save a lot of money. Have your advertisements with you to make sure that the folders for $1 are cheaper than the special running at other stores. Dollars stores are a great way to show your child about how to budget properly. Since everything in the store is $1, your child can easily calculate how much money they have spent and how much more they can spend.

School supplies can make great stocking stuffers! At the "close-out" time for school supplies, stock up for next year. The colored pens your child really wanted will probably be on sale and you can purchase them and stick them in their stocking. At least when the term or semester ends, they will have "new" school supplies for their next set of classes.

Look ahead on your child's schedule to anticipate any additional supplies that will be needed in January. High school and Jr. High school students will change semesters and have an entire new set of teachers and courses. If you notice they are in art classes later in the year, pick up some art supplies that are on sale in August and September because they won't be on sale in January.

Many teachers will sell school supplies through the school. Graphic designing and gym classes often require their students to purchase supplies that you can't find elsewhere. Be sure to budget for this additional cost. If your child is in a band class, look for the instrument online or at garage sales. You can pick up a nice set of drums from Ebay.com or Craigslist.com for a decent price and it will save you hundreds of dollars. Many students need to purchase gym clothes, if you have an older child who has already gone through the gym class, pass the clothes down to the younger child, if they will fit.

Watch for sales on athletic shoes at the mall, and online. Shopping web sites like Eastbay.com often clearance out old shoes when they are no longer in season. You will be able to find nice running and basketball shoes for a great price as compared to the price you can find in the mall at the shoe store.