Tips: Back To School Without Breaking The Bank

CBS Detroit - Break out the erasers and pencils – it's August, which means school is just around the corner.

For most families, back-to-school means it's also time to break out the credit cards and checkbooks for expensive supplies.  Thankfully, PromotionalCodes.com has some tips that can cut the cost of that ever-growing back-to-school list.

One hint is to shop online.  Many stores offer back-to-school discounts for online shoppers, along with coupons for clothing and school supplies.  If you're doing your shopping in-store, don't forget to ask if the store offers student discounts.

Some electronics stores, such as the Apple Store, offers education discounts on Mac computers to college students and parents who are shopping for college students. See the Apple offer HERE.

If you're worried about the high price of textbooks for the upcoming semester, PromotionalCodes.com suggests buying used books and electronics.  Popular websites like Chegg.com and Half.com are reliable websites where students can buy or rent textbooks at a fraction of their cost in bookstores.

Don't hesitate to buy used books on websites like Amazon or eBay, either.   New books can cost hundreds of dollars, and the savings from purchasing used books can really add up.

Along with buying online, you can also save money by shopping at large name retailers for supplies.  While dollar stores offer year-round low prices on supplies, large office supply stores or retailers often cut the prices of supplies substantially during back-to-school months.  Notebooks that can be found for $1.00 year-round at a dollar store, but can be purchased for around $0.10 to $0.30 at a large retailer.

Another tip is to have patience when shopping for supplies.   If you can push your purchase off until September, you can pick up electronics when they're at their lowest prices.  Other school supplies like pencils, erasers and notebooks are usually at their lowest prices in August.

Finally, before you jump in the car to head to the store or start perusing the Internet for deals, check around the house to see if you have any supplies stored away from years past.