School is just a few short weeks away. The kids are already practicing getting up early, and moms and dads are counting down the days to household peace.

Many parents are working hard on timing that perfect moment while buying their kids school supplies this year. Most parents will be waiting until the tax-free weekend to go out and get everything that their child needs for school.

That is all great and grand, but when there are so many kids and parents in Chilton County, who needs the exact same school supplies on the exact day as you do? Well, that puts a damper on things.

There are many specials that are going on right now that can save you the hassle of having to fight with other parents and can save you money. Many stores around the county are offering buy-one-get-one-free offers as well as low prices on many of the everyday items needed to go back to school such as backpacks and lunchboxes.

If you buy your child’s supplies along the way including their back to school wardrobe, you may actually end up saving more money than waiting for the tax holiday, when things start to run out. Nobody wants their child to have to go back to school without part of their school supplies.

Another good thing to think about is making sure you get extra supplies that you know your child will need. The school list may call for two packs of loose-leaf notebook paper, but that is not going to last all year. Go ahead and get four or five packs so you can make fewer trips to the store. When you buy school supplies, try to make sure that you don’t take your kids with you. When they can see things on the shelves, they will want more than they actually need.

When you think about what your child needs and things that they may want, then you can make a decision about how much extra money you want to spend on purchasing their supplies.