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Pencils, pens, folders, binders, sanitizer, paper towel, disinfecting wipes — Parents across the country are doing a doubletake as they read their child's hefty school supply list.

Now that we're back into the swing of school supply shopping season, it’s time we pull out the best money-saving tricks to save you major cash.

Cut the costs with apps that save you every time you shop in stores or online. It’s hard to keep track of every sale, promo code, coupon, discount and deal. But the app CouponCabin will do it for you. It collects all of that on the homepage of the app. Search for the store you want and see the sales and coupons that are available right then.

#2: Shop your list with a couple clicks

You can shop your kid's entire supply list with a couple of clicks. You don't even have to leave your couch. So if shopping isn't your thing, this website is perfect. It's called Teacherlists.com. You type in your state and school name and a bunch of the school's supply lists will pop up. Find yours and you'll see the website has put the entire list into carts on Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc. Check to see which cart fits your liking, is cheaper, etc. Then click on it. You'll be able to purchase your whole list on one of the retail sites all in one swoop. How cool is that?

Your kids don't need three highlighters and five reams of lined paper for the first day of school. They don’t even need the whole list for first or second week of school! See what you have at home and gather all the supplies they can get by with for now. Then, wait for the sales and clearance deals that will show up at the end of September. There may be less stock to choose from, but there will still be plenty of supplies left and for better prices.

Take a look at your kid's supply list and see what you can bulk buy on it. Then go in with another parent in the class. For example, if your child needs to bring in two rolls of paper towels or a couple of bottles of hand sanitizer, choose the bulk options that will be cheaper when divided with another parent. Sure, your child probably wants to pick out their own pencil case and binder that won’t match their other classmates, but there are plenty of things on their list that don't need to be unique. More examples are scissors, rulers, reams of paper, etc. It's all about saving!

#5: Keep the backpacks for longer

Rips, tears, busted zippers, stains, how many backpacks do your kids go through in a school year? Keep them in shape longer! Staples has protection plans for backpacks. The plan covers normal wear and tear, including the things listed at the beginning of this paragraph! If something happens and they can’t repair it, you get a replacement or a reimbursement. The plans range but can be as little as $5 and cover two years of school. (And guess what…there are protection plans for briefcases too, adults!)

Classroom supplies run out fast, but every penny you spend right now can get your school major cash to keep stocked year-round. OfficeMax and Office Depot are doing something really cool. The program is called "Give Back to Schools." All you have to do is purchase supplies in-store or online. Enter your school name at checkout or tell the cashier.

Your school then gets 5% back in credits for free supplies! The company will send vouchers to your school. If you’ve already bought supplies and want to participate, you can enter your school ID on the website. Click here to read more.

#7: Get nice backpacks on sale

Sometimes high schoolers want 'cooler" bags than what you can find at some retailers. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of money on them. This website, called 6pm has some really cool bags on sale. We've seen major discounts on big-name brand bags.

Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.