Back-to-school shopping is a little tricky for Debbie Hoskin. Two of her children attend year-round schools, so she must buy summer clothes in addition to fall and winter items for back-to-school.

Hoskin just bought shirts at ShopKo for her two girls as part of a "buy one, get one free" deal. Later this fall, she'll buy jeans when they go on sale.

School supplies will come from Wal-Mart.

"I'm not afraid to use coupons, or, if you can find a good deal, to shop the clearance racks — whatever," Hoskin said.

Tracy Jones, Paradise
While Tracy Jones likes a good deal, she said she won't sacrifice quality for a low price. She tries to buy items that will last a long time, because she believes it's cheaper in the long run.

This year, her three kids, ages 15, 14 and 9, will each get a new pair of shoes. Jones also plans to buy about four or five new shirts for each child and about three new pairs of pants.

Her budget is about $150 per child with a maximum of $50 for shoes. If her kids want something extra, they must pay for it themselves or make up the difference by doing extra chores.

One trick she uses to find low-cost but high-quality items is to shop at places such as Deseret Industries. She and her daughter just found a "cute" gold-sequined shrug at the D.I. and paired it with a shirt from Kmart. It cost $10 overall, and her daughter "doesn't feel like she's wearing 'secondhand,"' Jones said.

Melody Quinney, West Jordan
For the most part, Quinney said she has it easy with back-to-school shopping. Her boys aren't too particular when it comes to style, and her younger children are OK with some hand-me-down clothes, she said.

Her philosophy is to shop on a strictly "needs" basis. When her boys want something extra, she'll buy the item if it seems practical. If it's just something "trendy," Quinney will put the item on hold and tell her sons to think about it overnight. If they still want the item the next day, she'll drive them back.

She usually doesn't make that return trip.

"Everyone shops emotionally," Quinney said. "I'm kind of teaching them not to shop on their emotions."

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com