Last-minute back-to-school savings strategies

We are a week away from the start of school at our house, and we are wringing every last bit of summer out of these final days. That means we are not running from store to store, grabbing up armfuls of notebooks, pens, and jeans. My kids all love back-to-school shopping as much as most kids, but after a few years at the back-to-school routine, together we've come up with back-to-school strategies that help us save money and precious end-of-summer time.

Even if school has started for your family, chances are you're still picking up the odd notebook or folder required by a certain teacher, or starting to look for clothing sales and deals as the weather turns cool. So, here are a few last-minute school shopping tips before the homework really starts to pile up.

Shop at home. Like this post filled with money-saving ideas says, look around your house to see what you have before going out to buy a slew of stuff you may not need. I've been spending lots of time organizing closets and desks to find the school supplies we already have so we can figure out what we really need. Same goes with clothes: We've been culling through clothes that don't fit anymore, and I was very happy to see my youngest excited to "shop" in her older sister's room for jeans and tops that suddenly fit her.

Wait for the start of school. Sure, advertising supplements tell you to shop before school starts, and for some things that may be necessary. But over the years we've found that individual teachers have individual requirements for supplies that don't get posted on their websites until after school starts. I was happy to see our school district decide not to put up a master supply must-have list this year after parents complained that so much of the stuff we have been told to buy doesn't get used. So we are making sure we have the basics -- ruled paper, pens, pencils, and markers, and a few binders before school begins, but we're waiting for the teachers' lists to make our school supply shopping list.

Look for deals on the web. To save some time and gas, check out online deals and coupons for stores first at sites like retailmenot.com, couponcabin.com, coupons.com, and Yahoo! Deals. And if you've been having good luck with coupon sites like these, many of them have Twitter feeds that may be worth following to keep up with the latest deals. (By the way, Yahoo! Deals has a Cash in on the Fun contest running through Sept. 7 that would provide the winner with plenty of back-to-school shopping cash.)

For more back-to-school shopping tips, check out Shine's Back to School guide. And please add your best school savings tips and ideas below!