Save On Back To School Shopping

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- It's that time again. The kids are going back to school, and you know what that means: Shopping.

Even with the fall sales and big discounts, stocking up on everything from clothes to electronics may cause some parents to break the bank – so how do you find the best deals?

CBS 2's Cindy Hsu got some expert advice.

Bck to school spending us up this year, with the average American family shelling out about $606 on everything from clothes to computers, compared to $548 last year, according to the National Retail Foundation.

If you feel pressured to buy now, with all those "one day sales" and "limited time offers" – don't.

"What consumers need to know is that there's going to be another sale," said Kelli Grant of Smartmoney.com. "The retail environment is pretty bad right now…So you might miss today's "one day sale" but there's going to be something else."

Grant said to stick to your back to school shopping list – and if you haven't received one yet, then wait to buy.

Also, check out pharmacies when it comes to supplies.

"CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Duane Reade – all of thse places that have a pretty rotating inventory, they're already looking towards Halloween, so they want to get all the school supplies out about this time during the year."

Ninth graders that spoke to CBS 2 said their parents have taught them well when it comes to back to school recycling.

"I've been looking around my room at everything I've used in the past," said Jaime Gropper, 14. "I find all these new school supplies that I didn't even know I had."

One high school student even got a lesson in her parents from budgeting.

"My parents just give me $50 and that's your back to school money," said Alexandra Vogelsang.

Rebecca Sale, mother of three, saves by shopping online and locally.

"It's helpful to shop where you live and get to know the people who work there," she said. "And you get on e-mail list and people send you notes when there are discounts."