Advice can help reduce costs of school supplies

expensive item.”

• Or, let your kids help out.

If you’d prefer to take your kids with you, teach them about budgeting and prioritization, said Jill Fopiano, CEO and president of O’Brien Wealth Partners LLC in Boston.

“They should get what they really need, of course, but maybe also one or two things that they really want,” Fopiano said. “And perhaps they put some of their allowance money toward that.”

In recent years, in fact, students are contributing more of their own money to backto-school purchases, said Katherine Cullen, director of retail and consumer insights at the National Retail Federation.

• Cross things you don’t need off the list.

Some items can be skipped altogether, or at least avoided for a while.

Say no to excessive items, Fopiano said.

“That 100-box of crayons may seem pretty tempting, but, in reality, the novelty will wear off pretty quickly. So stick to the basics and really just the essential items.”

Use the supply list from your child’s teacher as a guide. And even then, exercise discretion. Through the years, more items have been added to school-supply lists, including electronics. To counter the extra costs, remove, reduce or swap some items.

For example, even though the list calls for large quantities, you probably don’t need them all right away.

“They certainly don’t need 48 pencils the first day,” Fopiano noted. “Even the biggest pencil-breaker or chewer doesn’t need 48 the first day.”

And there’s wiggle room within categories, too.

A digital-planner app could substitute for a paper-bound planner. A quality backpack can get the job done, even if it’s not the exact pattern or character your child wants.

“I don’t know of a single school that’s like, ‘OK, you must have this specific backpack,’” Meyer said.

• Gradually check items off the list.

As for must-buy items, don’t feel compelled to purchase everything at once.

In recent years, Cullen said, shoppers have extended the back-to-school shopping season.

“What we’ve seen is that more people are starting their shopping two months before classes start,” she said. “And one of the primary reasons they are doing that is to stretch out their budgets and capture deals all season long.”

Deals can be found throughout the summer.

Another moneysaving strategy?

Subscribe to monthly supply deliveries during the school year. Cullen said retailers such as Target and Amazon offer a discount when you sign up for recurring deliveries of items such as office supplies. You can opt into a regular shipment of computer paper, for instance.