So, we all now know how to save money on things like clothing and other back to school stuff, but how can you save money on the all of the fees that it takes to actually send your kids back to school?  You know what I mean, registration fees, lunch fees, school sports fees, etc.

Here are several hidden ways to save money on back to school:

• Check for scholarships.  Depending on your actual need, there may be scholarships available for certain registration fees.  
• Skip the extras.  I just registered my daughter for high school and they charged $30 for a yearbook.  My daughter had been saving up, so she opted to buy it, but don’t forget that this is not a requirement.  I mean, really, how often are your kids going to actually be looking at that yearbook?
• Make lunches at home.  Unless you qualify for reduced or free lunches, school lunch is quite expensive.  You will save a significant amount of money by making the kids cold lunches at home.  
• Look into reduced sports fees.  It doesn’t matter if your child is playing sports for the school or a different sports program (kids inc, etc), there are often scholarships and reduced fees for families in need. Sometimes the fees will be cut in half, sometimes they will be discounted even more.  Alternatively, they also occasionally allow payment plans.
• Cut back on new school clothes.  Chances are, your child doesn’t need hundreds of dollars worth of new back to school clothes, maybe cut back on those a little bit to free up other money.

Back to school is expensive enough, there is no need to add more stress to it by stretching your budget beyond its means.  If you are struggling to make ends meet, there are things that you can do to make it easier to afford.

Good luck and happy back to school everyone!