After a one month hiatus for rest and rejuvenation, the Elf Blog is back.  This week, with the exception of the Christmas Countdown, we'll be looking at back to school planning.

Today, our focus is shopping.  Here are your Elf tips for back-to-school shopping:

• Always shop with a list and a budget. Most schools post supply lists for each grade on the school website.  Use that list and the weekly ads to make your shopping plans and make sure you get the best price.
• If your budget allows, purchase extras of consumables (pencils and pens, paper, etc.).  The prices now are the best they will be all year, so you can make your supply budget stretch farther if you make purchases now.  Just make sure that you store them immediately in a place where you can find them later.
• There is nothing inherently wrong with hand-me-downs. 
• Consider a school supply recycling party with other families.  You'd be amazed at how many people have unused school supplies (including backpacks, binders, lunch boxes, and calculators) going unused.
• Now is also a great time to purchase storage bins and bulletin boards.  Ideally, each child should have one of each for storing and displaying projects and papers.
• As soon as possible, talk to each child's teacher about other supplies and various fees that might be required during the year.  The earlier you know about them, easier they'll be to work into your budget.

What are your best back-to-school shopping tips?