I wish I had thought of this when I had school-age kids. When buying school supplies, give your children the budget. If they have a given amount to spend, you will likely find they are thoughtful spenders. Your kids will likely stretch the dollar, knowing there’s a limit to the spending.

Give it a try. Classroom supplies may become far more functional and less flashy, saving them money. Kids may gravitate to the sale racks, since almost no kid needs winter clothes for the start of school. Sneakers and backpacks may also be more conservative, knowing there’s a budget.   Here’s a novel idea, kids may even decide they can wear the clothes or use leftover school supplies from last semester, thus stretching their dollar further.

If you are like I used to be, school shopping included negotiating, arguing and I finished broke, and worn out. If I were smarter, my kids would have spent more thoughtfully. They would have figured a way to get what they wanted and needed, all the while, wasting less money. After all, it’s a lot harder to spend your own money than someone else’s.