08/20/2026
Back-to-school shopping sneaks up as one big bill — but it's really a dozen smaller ones: supplies, clothes, a backpack, maybe a laptop, plus the fees and lunch money that don't show up until the first week.
A few ways to keep it from spiraling: shop your own house first (you probably have more leftover supplies than you think), set a per-kid budget instead of one big number, time bigger buys around your state's sales-tax holiday, and check thrift stores and uniform swaps for clothes they'll outgrow in a year. And don't forget to plan for the costs that show up later — lunch money, activity fees, and fundraisers.
Click through for the full guide, and share it with a parent staring down the school-supply list. What's your best back-to-school money-saver?