Creating a back-to-school shopping plan can help kids develop healthy money habits while minimizing, what can be, a very stressful experience for families.

Back-to-school spending for 2011 is projected to be $39 billion and is second only to the year-end holiday spending. It’s the perfect storm of big money and non-stop advertising converging on kids and parents. That’s why it’s essential to develop successful tactics for managing all the pressures of back-to-school shopping.

Here are my five steps for creating a successful back-to-school shopping experience:

1.    Be proactive

Set up a meeting with your back-to-school shopper before you head to the mall to determine a back-to-school shopping strategy. This is an ideal opportunity to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s a great way to engage them in the process by transferring some accountability and responsibility to them.

2.    Discuss consumer pressure

Have everyone bring three examples of back-to-school advertising to the meeting. Discuss which ads stand out. Where did you see the ad? What techniques are the advertisers using to encourage you to buy? Which items do you feel the most pressure to buy?

These and other questions are intended to get the ball rolling, and help your child become aware of some of the pressures they are facing.

3.    Establish your budget

Agreeing upon a budget will likely be the most stressful part of the conversation. Discuss the amount that both you and your child are willing to contribute to the back-to-school budget and work with them to establish healthy boundaries between needs and wants.

It is important that your child make some contribution to the budget to ensure they are invested in the process. There may also be a gap between what your child wants and what you are willing to spend and it’s important to talk about that.

4.    Create the plan

Ask your child to write a thorough list of things they would like to buy and how much each item costs. Work with them to make sure the plan aligns with your budget. Help them think about ways they can stretch the budget by being resourceful (e.g. buying things on sale) and creative (e.g. visiting used clothing stores).

5.    Put the plan in motion

It’s time to let the shopping commence. It may be helpful to bring the exact amount of cash budgeted for the outing. That way, impulse spending will be less likely because it will directly effect other purchases your child outlined during the planning meeting.