Ah, summer!  Baseball, swimming, vacation… and back to school?  School is just around the corner, and although you may be looking forward to getting your kiddos back into a routine, you may not be looking forward to spending money on supplies. 

Here are a couple tips to help you stick to your back to school budget…

• Before you start to shop take inventory.  Look at what you already have leftover from last year, and make a list of what you need.  Once you make your list, stick to it!   
• Take advantage of Iowa’s Tax Free Holiday!  This year’s tax free days are Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3.  Visit the Department of Iowa Revenue website for full details. 
• Download the FREE Coupon Sherpa app on your smartphone.  I absolutely love this app, you can find tons of great coupons and can redeem them right from your phone.  If you don’t have a smartphone you can print coupons from their website.
• Download Cartwheel, Target's FREE mobile coupon app.  The app allows you to browse coupons, keep track of them all in one place and redeem them right from your mobile device.  They have a school & office supply category featuring some great back to school deals.    
• Sign up for Benefits Plus! With a Benefits Plus membership you can purchase discounted eCertificates for stores such as Foot Locker, JCPenney, Nike and Zappos.com.    
• Buy basics in bulk.  Stock up on things like glue sticks, pencils and notebooks.  
  
  Do you have great back to school shopping tips?  Share them below!