There are a lot of shopping strategies when it comes to getting your child's school items. As Parenting Guide Laureen Miles Brunelli writes: I've been burned by the "wait until school starts" approach to buying supplies, sometimes waiting too long and discovering stores out of stock of certain items.

In those instances, not only did it mean an additional trip to the store, in some cases I ended up paying...choke...full price when items came back in stock!

So I've learned to shop smart but early. I layout the sales pages and my kids' school supply lists together and try to find the best spot to shop. But maybe it's just me and my kids' overly particular teachers. Do you think waiting until school starts is a good strategy? Tell us how you save on school supplies.