Worst Things to Buy Before Your Kid Heads Back to School

Whether your child is heading off to kindergarten or college, you don't want to send him or her to the classroom without the necessary supplies. So you visit your favorite online retailers or head to the mall to buy notebooks, pencils, folders, clothing and maybe even big-ticket electronic items. But buying all the items you think your child needs before he or she heads back to school can be a mistake.

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Shopping

Some school-related items won't drop in price until after the back-to-school sales are over. Plus, if you rush to buy everything now, you might discover that many of those purchases weren't even necessary once school starts. So to avoid spending more than you have to, here are seven things you should avoid buying before your child heads back to school.

Fall apparel. Fall clothing already is appearing in stores, and some retailers might offer small discounts on some items during back-to-school sales or over the long Labor Day weekend. But markdowns of 40% or more likely won't show up until mid- to late fall. Not only will you spend more than necessary if you buy fall clothes for your kids now, you might end up purchasing things your kids decide aren't cool enough because the other kids are wearing something else, says Kristin Cook, managing editor of Ben's Bargains. If your kids need clothes, she recommends taking advantage of ongoing clearance sales on summer clothes that can be worn the first month or two of school when it's still hot outside.

HDTVs. You might not consider a television as a back-to-school purchase. But if your child is heading off to college, she might ask for a small HDTV for her dorm room or apartment. The summer months are usually a bad time for TV deals, though, says Mark LoCastro, spokesperson for DealNews.com. Wait until November when HDTV prices are the lowest of the year during Black Friday sales.

School supplies. Wait until you get a supply list from your child's teacher before purchasing anything. Otherwise you could end up with the wrong type of supplies or an abundance of things your child won't use. If possible, try to get by for a couple of weeks with what your child still has from the previous year because big-box retailers such as Target and Wal-mart will dramatically mark down school supplies after Labor Day, Cook says.

Smart phones. Even elementary-age kids are taking phones to school now. So if your child has been pestering you to buy one, hold off until later in the fall. After new models are revealed, older versions will be available for deep discounts, says Jon Lal, founder and CEO of BeFrugal.com. In particular, don't rush to buy the new Amazon Fire Phone, LoCastro says. DealNews.com research shows that Android phones, even popular ones, see discounts of about 50% within the first two to three months after release. There's a good chance that Amazon will discount its Android phone in order to remain competitive in a crowded market, LoCastro says.

Tablets. You won't see deals on many tablets now because demand is high, says Joe Warner, assistant managing editor of Ben's Bargains. Wait until Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) to find deals, he says. Or consider buying your child a laptop, instead, especially if he's heading off to college. With so many sales on laptops now through the start of school, they're cheaper and more practical than tablets, LoCastro says.

Textbooks. Don't buy textbooks for your college students until they've attended one class and are sure they won't drop it, says Trae Bodge, senior editor of RetailMeNot.com. Look for used, rather than new, textbooks on sites BigWords.com and CampusBooks.com. See How to Cut Your Textbook Costs in Half – or More for more ways to save.

Trendy gear. If you buy your child a backpack or lunchbox before school starts, you run the risk of having your child change her mind about what she wants after she sees what the other kids are using to bring their books and lunch to school, says Regina Novickis, savings expert at PromotionalCodes.com. Encourage your child to use her current gear for a few weeks. Then you can make a safe investment knowing your child has what she wants, Novickis says. Plus, by waiting, you might score discounts on items that didn't sell during the back-to-school rush.