Back to school time is second largest shopping time of the year, behind Christmas. But Mike LeClear with Financial Hope in Fort Wayne says it doesn't have to be painful.

The first thing you should do is to have a budget. That's simply taking control of your spending.  Another way is to limit how much you intend to spend, and stick to it..and if you have older students who have with high-priced taste. He encourages you to get them involved and have for a portion of the purchase. He says that makes them more selective in their shopping. 

He also says, Christmas shopping lessons can carry over to back-to-school shopping. He says is wife is shopping for Christmas year round.  

There is no rule that says you have to do all your shopping in one or two days. Stretch out your spending, and keep it manageable. Watch for sales and use price tracking websites or smart phone apps.

But, whatever your strategy is, the greatest danger is not having a spending plan. That almost always leads to overspending and putting it on your credit cards, creating another debt.