The school supply list used to be simple. Now, for many Bakersfield families, it's a negotiation.As the first day of school approaches, parents are walking store aisles with a sharper eye, putting items back, swapping name brand s for store labels and having honest conversations with their children about what the family can afford this year.Erica Davis knows the feeling well. The mother said her back-to-school strategy has shifted in recent years, and the change is deliberate."Before, we'd try and shop the deals, stock up a little. So now, just really sticking to what's on the list," Davis said.It sounds simple. But in practice, it means resisting the impulse to grab a good deal on something that isn't immediately needed, a discipline that adds up across an entire supply list.Davis said brand loyalty is also one of the first things to go when budgets tighten."Instead of getting the more expensive brands, we look for maybe a more generic name brand, or the store's brand," Davis said.She's also learned to stretch purchases across multiple children. When a bulk pack of glue sticks is on the list, she splits it between her two daughters."Sometimes they just don't get 12 glue sticks or whatever it is. They only get 8, and that's just how it is. That's all we can afford," Davis said.For Brandi Garcia, the math is just as real. Garcia helps her daughter-in-laws shop for her grandchildren and said the rising cost of everything , not just school supplies, has forced a harder conversation about needs versus wants."Everything has gone up. So you just kind of have to weed everything out and see what's the most important thing and what is needed and not wanted sometimes," Garcia said.That line between need and want can be a difficult one to draw, especially for children who see their classmates with newer backpacks or the latest gear. Garcia said some kids are learning that lesson earlier than expected."Sometimes kids don't get to have all the updated stuff like they used to, or they have to get hand-me-downs. And you just have to explain to them that we don't live in the economy like we used to live in," Garcia said.Garcia said she leans on sales, coupons and store reward programs to stretch every dollar further, and passes those tips along to the younger parents in her family. She pointed to Target as a reliable destination for back-to-school deals, and said signing up for reward programs or using a credit card that earns points back can make a meaningful difference over the course of a shopping trip.But even with every strategy in play, the goal at the end of the day isn't about the supplies themselves. It's about how a child feels when they walk through the school doors."That they feel like they have all the tools that they need to be successful in the school year," Davis said.There is no single formula for keeping back-to-school costs under control. For some families, it's coupons and reward programs. For others, it's store brands, hand-me-downs and leaving the extras on the shelf. But the priority is the same across every cart and every checkout line, getting children ready to learn, without pushing the family budget past its limit.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less