(From SmartMoney.com) Back-to-school sales are already in full swing, but shoppers hunting for bargains this year face the challenges of bigger bills and reduced store inventory. The average family will spend $606 on clothes, shoes, school supplies and electronics, according to the National Retail Foundation. That’s up 10.5% from last year’s average $549, and just slightly above the pre-recession spending of $594 in 2008.

Consumers may be spending more, but it’s not because they are more confident about the economy or their own finances, says Alison Paul, a vice chairman and the U.S. retail sector leader for market research firm Deloitte. Many families who passed on buying new clothing or upgrading computers last year are — reluctantly — doing so this year. “They’re feeling really out of date,” she says. Others anticipate spending more on classroom items such as paper towels, hand sanitizer and printer paper to supplement the budget-strapped school’s supply closet.

Here’s how to keep back-to-school bills in check:

Budget long-term

Back-to-school shopping is only the first round of expenses consumers face during the fall. “There are all sorts of things, once they’re in school, that you’ll be asked to pay for,” says certified financial planner Mari Adam of Adam Financial Associates in Boca Raton, Fla. Faced with budget cuts, many schools now charge for things such as sports, lab experiments and field trips. Consumers should factor those into their budgets and keep in mind that the holiday shopping season is just months away, she says.
Read more here: Back-to-School Shopping Primer