Time for back-to-school shopping -- really

We'll spend more on back-to-school purchases this year, but we'll take our sweet time doing so, according to a new survey from PriceGrabber.

Of the 1,509 individuals surveyed, 46% said they planned to fork over more dollars than in 2011, and 55% said they'd buy throughout the summer. In fact, some of them are already shopping: 17% indicated they'd start looking in June.

Starting now doesn't necessarily mean buying now. It means positioning yourself for great prices.

How great?

Maybe pretty great. Last year one acquaintance paid just $35 for three pairs of children's jeans, six shirts and two sweat shirts. They were new, not used.

The lower the prices, the more likely you can pay cash as you go, versus charging hundreds of dollars' worth of stuff in one late-August race through the mall. Get started soon, and you'll have plenty of time to:

1. Set price alerts. Not seeing the bargains you want? Say what you want to pay on cost-comparison sites like PriceGrabber, PricePlease and Nextag. You'll get an email when your price point is reached.

2. Look for discount codes. Percentage-off and free-shipping codes abound at sites like CouponTrade, RetailMeNot and Savings.com.

3. Shop clearance. That's the virtual clearance rack as well as the sales tables in brick-and-mortar stores. Online shoppers can combine bargain-basement prices with the online codes noted above. If you live in a mild climate, some summer clearance items can be worn this fall; buy some a size or two up for next spring. (Post continues after video.)

4. Shop secondhand. It's prime yard sale season, so shop with an eye toward September. A couple of weekends ago I spied seemingly unworn children's clothes, including jackets and coats. Thrift stores are another good bet. Note: I am not suggesting you send your kids to school in faded, stained or other subpar items. But very nice stuff gets sold for a song.

5. Swap online. Sites such as Swapmamas, thredUP and Zwaggle let parents all around the country trade used (but still good) clothing and other items.

• Bing: School dress codes

6. Swap locally. Relatives or friends, one-on-one or small gatherings -- trading outgrown items is a huge money saver.

7. Look for free stuff. You never know what's going to show up on The Freecycle Network, including children's clothing.

8. Use the state sales tax holiday. The next wave of no-sales-tax days starts in early July. By then you'll know what you do (and don't) need.

Readers: When will you start your back-to-school shopping? Any tips to share?

More on MSN Money:

• Your own private consignment store
• Get paid to buy stuff
• What to buy (and skip) at thrift stores