6 ways to save money on school supplies.

1. Don't buy what you don't need

 

Every year parents make the mistake of going shopping for supplies before taking inventory of what they already have at home.

2. Check out swapping sites for freebies

swap.com and swapmamas.com are great places for scoring freebies such as clothes, shoes, books, backpacks and more

3. Three ways to save on tax-free weekend

 

In addition to getting the tax savings look for back to school discounts and additional coupons to get further savings.

4. Get thrifty

Shopping at second hand or consignment stores could be a good way to save money. You can often find new items with the price tags still attached at these stores. People have brought them in either because they were the wrong size or their kids didn't like them.

5. Download textbooks

Textbooks can be one of the most costly school supply items. The campus bookstore most likely will have the highest markup. Search online for better prices. You can also download textbooks for less. You can save 50% or more off the cost off a new textbook by downloading it from CafeScribe. You can also rent textbooks from "Kindle Textbook Rentals" for 30 days to a year for 80% off the price for the paper books.

 

6. Always look for free shipping

 

Make sure to look for free shipping offers if you buy school supplies online. Freeshipping.org will tell you which websites are offering free shipping for back to school.