Sending a kid back to school can also mean spending the final weeks of summer shopping for new clothes and supplies.

According to numbers from the National Retail Federation, families with students in kindergarten through 12th grade will spend about $600 on apparel and supplies for back to school.

But for parents who would rather not spend that much, educators advocate starting with the basics: paper and pencils.

“Be conservative. Stick with the basics,” said Stacey Carlisle, principal at Harris County Carver Middle School. “It’s easy to get excited about school shopping, but get into the school week and once you get all of the organizational things done, then go out and pick up what you need.”

Carlisle said they don’t even encourage bookbags until kids are assigned lockers and books. Students get a chance to look at the size of the locker during a middle school training day held before classes start.

Janice Owens, principal at Park Elementary, said to look for sales where items are bundled together. She said more teachers are also asking for dry-erase markers to use on white boards and hand sanitizer and Kleenex to stop the spread of germs.

“They use a lot of Kleenex,” she said.

Both Carlisle and Owens said the schools welcome donations from parents who want to buy supplies for the entire classroom, but the supplies on the lists are optional.

“Typically they just buy for the individual student, but a lot of parents are great and donate items to the classroom,” she said.

One new item added to the supply list at Harris County’s middle school was a flash drive.

Students are doing more work on computers, she said, and flash drives come relatively cheap now. Carlisle said she thought more high-tech supplies could come to classrooms in the future.

“We’re now seeing students ask if they can bring their Kindles or iPads to read a book,” she said. “They have their own iPhones and laptops. As time goes on, it could be just like having paper and pencils.”

Once you’ve bought the supplies, you need bookbag to carry it all.

Courtney LeBleu, owner of Dancing Needles, said the store carries bookbags, lunchboxes, pencil cases and three ring binders. Some of the items come in coordinating colors.

“A lot of people like to get a matching set,” she said.

The key to finding the right bookbag is to make sure it’s useful for the student, she said.

“I think you want to make sure you’ve got pockets for everything,” she said. “Just because it’s cute doesn’t mean it’s functional. You want to make sure it holds the school supplies you actually need.”

Brooke Kunkle, an employee at Lipstick and Lizards, said it’s best to bring the kids along when choosing bookbags and other school supplies.

“Just look for comfort really. Let the child pick out their own backpack based on their personality,” she said, adding, “Shop early. It gets picked over, just like at Christmas.”

Both stores also offer monogramming for items, which can add personality to an item while also being useful.

“It’s good if you’ve got 25 kids in a classroom and seven of them are named Adam,” LeBleu said. “It’s functional and cute.”

If you’re looking for a first day of school outfit, it’s best to shop for quality, said Eugene Ramirez, a media relations manager at Macy’s.

“From class to homeroom and recess, kids are very active in their school clothes,” he said. Popular trends lean to preppy, academic chic styles, meaning lots of varsity jackets, striped sweatshirts and washed denim, he said. Skinny jeans and vintage graphic T-shirts also tend to be popular.

For deals on back to school shopping, LeBleu recommended waiting until you have a list and doing all the shopping at once. Look for coupons and sales in the moneymailers, in the newspaper and on a store’s Facebook page or website, she said.

“It’s easy to get the coupons together and do a one-stop shop,” she said. “It’s easier if you have a list.

Sara Pauff, 706-320-4469