If you’re anything like the typical parent, summer brings not only the promise of family fun but also the prospect of family funds slipping away come September. What can you do to avoid overspending and save your sanity before school starts? One solution is to jumpstart your planning and purchasing by starting the process as soon as possible. Here are three tips: 1. Visit your kids’ school and class websites to see if supply lists are already posted. If so, great! If not, try to anticipate what the needs will be. Then watch for sales throughout the summer and buy a little at a time. 2. Set and stick to a budget before you head out and reuse anything you can from last year. 3. Remember out-of-school activities will come with a registration fee (as will many school-related but out-of-classroom clubs and teams) so account for that in your planning.