To get prepared for a great new school year without breaking the bank, here are some back to school money saving tips when shopping for clothes, which account for the largest chunk of an average family’s back to school expenses, according to the NRF.

* Shop your kids’ closets first.

Go through what you already have and see what fits and what does not. The best way to do this is take everything out of the closet and drawers and go through it all. Turn on some upbeat music your kid loves to keep things happy and to keep up the pace. Once you’ve taken inventory, you may be surprised at how much you already have.

Then make a list of what you still need to get, and stick to that list.

* Organize your children’s closets.

It is so easy for shirts to get pushed to the back or the corner or get stuck between other items and then quickly be forgotten. If a child can see all of their clothes easily, it makes it harder to cry, “I have nothing to wear!” Similarly, be sure to donate anything that does not fit. Get it out of the way to make room for what you do have.

The added bonus is that this will hopefully make getting ready in the morning or laying out outfits the nights before easier.

If you want to take it a step farther, make a list of outfits. Kids often don’t realize how many items go with other items. You don’t have to have a lot of items to have 10 different outfits, and that gets you through 2 weeks of school days. Hang on to the list, or even tape it to the inside of the closet door to remind you both what the available options are.

* Hold off on your shopping.

Just because school is starting does not mean that you need to purchase an entirely new wardrobe for your child for the coming nine months. Even if that is what retailers tell you, it’s simply not true. Resist the urge to go crazy. We buy a back to school outfit and one additional outfit, and that’s it.

There are numerous reasons for this. First, it’s still warm out and presumably your kid has decent summer clothes (they haven’t been running around naked, right?) so those will likely still work. Second, wait until your child has the lay of the land at school. They may love something in the store but peer pressure can be powerful and if they refused to wear it two weeks after purchase, that’s money down the drain. Third, your child will grow. They all get bigger and you should keep the in mind when shopping. I admit that I have purchased winter clothes in the summer and then the kid hit a major growth spurt and blew flat past that size. Never wore those items, and it was a complete waste of funds. Learn from me and save the money.

Finally, while the clothes are on sale now, they will be even more on sale in a few weeks. My only exception to this would be if your state has a sales tax holiday but even then, it’s likely the the discounts in the future will be at least 25%, which is going to be more than tax. Good things come to those who wait.

* Ask store associates if there are any other savings opportunities or upcoming sales.

If you do have to shop now, talk to the employees. Sometimes they will have a coupon they can give you. At Justice last week, they said that everything would be an additional 20% off on the weekend. We held off a few days and returned during the sale. The amount we saved made the return trip worth it, but that’s a personal decision.

* Consider shopping online.

If you and your child have a hard time resisting the adorable accessories, fun shoes, and great displays, you’re not alone. Stores are designed to make you buy more than you need or intend. Shopping online can sometimes make it easier to avoid the distraction and stick to your list. It can also be a calmer environment and keep you from agreeing to something awful just to get out of a store to save your sanity.

Check back tomorrow for more back to school money saving tips for school supplies, food and more.

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