Back to school shopping is second only to Christmas shopping when it comes to stress levels for parents.

While your kids may not have to be dressed in the latest and greatest, they'll still need to fit in and, more often than not, that comes with budgetary constraints.

Stylist Christine Dovey says it's good to have a plan before you start your shopping.

"You need to know what you're doing before you actually get to the mall," she says. "So, I think a first step you can always start with is your child's school will usually send out a list of needs, and things they'll need that year for school supplies. So, I think first check that list. Check to see what you already have. And then compare the two and see what you actually need."

Dovey says like everything else in life, the vast majority of our stress comes down to money.

Her solution is fairly simple to say, but hard for many people to do.

She says job one is setting a budget, and sticking to it.

"Before you go to the mall, really get the kids involved, because then they're going to be accountable and they're going to know what that number is," she says. "I think that just gives them a better understanding of that, and it's a lesson that you can start right from an early age and then when you get to the mall they're not going to be you know, I want this, I want that!"

Dovey says you'll never go wrong shopping where the sign says "sale."

"I think a good tip is to shop the summer sales and then a lot of those summer pieces you think are just for that season can actually take you through the whole school year just by layering different things on top," she says. "So you might find a summer T-Shirt, or a little skirt for a girl, or a summer dress that you can maybe then invest in a jacket that can go overtop that will take that piece through the season."

Dovey says tried and true methods like buying clothes and shoes slightly too big for your kids is still a good idea as they'll be able to get more use out of them.

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