As back-to-school season arrives, the National Retail Federation is predicting that families with children in elementary school through high school plan to spend an average of $848.90 on school items this year - $59 more than last year.

With this increased spending as students return to school, some for the first time since spring of 2020, budgeting expert Jamila Souffrant says that her first tip for saving is to check what you have at home.

"Before you go out and buy anything, take inventory of what you have" says Jamila. “The other thing you can do is create a budget.”

She also recommends tracking your spending, especially with school supply shortages this year that may happen due to many kids returning to classes. When it comes to online shopping for back-to-school products, Jamila recommends checking to see how you can use points or browser extensions to save when shopping online.

"Just make the decision on what you are going to invest in and what you are going to spend” says Jamila. “That way you don’t have to keep re-buying the item.”