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With summer quickly coming to an end, it’s time to swap lazy days on the beach for lecture halls and study hours.

Back-to-school shopping can quickly become a major burden on wallets if not carefully planned and budgeted for.

Here are eight tips to keep in mind when preparing to head back to campus.

Create Your Semester Budget Now

Before the start of the school year, sit down and map out your budget for the entire semester to avoid financial problems down the road.

If you need help, Reyna Gobel, author of Graduation Debt: How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life, suggests making an appointment with your student money management office to go over your finances.

Evaluate Your Student Loans

Be conscious of how much you are actually borrowing and how the money is being spent.

“Don’t borrow more money in student loans then you need, but make sure you’ve calculated what your need is,” says Gobel. “Rejecting excess financial aid is a good thing, but not having enough money for food later in the semester isn’t.”

Order Books Online

Often professors post their syllabi online detailing the required books for the semester.

“If they know who their professor is, they can always e-mail them and ask for the syllabus,” says Maria Pippidis, family economist for the University of Delaware cooperative extension program. “Sometimes [the book is] online depending on the nature of the course-it gives them a head start in terms of looking for stuff online.”

The experts agree students can usually get better deals on required reading online compared to the campus bookstore.

Check out web sites such as Half.com and Comparetextbook.com to find books at better prices. But be careful to get the edition of the book that your professor requires.

Be Smart About Supplies

Instead of waiting to buy supplies on campus, Pippidis suggests checking out dollar stores, which can be cheaper than larger retailers.

“Another way to think about saving is to buy in bulk and sharing with your roommates,” she says. “Also, if you need art supplies, some web sites have a deal where if you spend $100, you get free shipping, so you could go in on that with your peers as well.”

Reconsider your Meal Plan

Analyze your class load this semester to determine if you need to make adjustments to your meal plan. If you are heavy on morning classes, you might not have time for a sit-down breakfast every morning.

“I would definitely advise looking at last year’s meal patterns; what did you actually do versus what you were going to do,” says Pippidis.

“That can help you make a more informed decision where to put your dollars.”

Don’t Overdo it on the Dorm Room

If you are an incoming freshman, check out the school’s policy on what is allowed in dorm rooms, many ban certain electronics.

Some schools now provide dorms with mini-refrigerators and microwaves, which can save a lot of money.

Leave Your Car at Home

If a car isn’t absolutely necessary, leave it at home.

“Parking on a lot of campuses has gotten to be expensive--when you have a car, you tend to drive more, using more gas,” says CariAnne Behr, operations manager at Mapping Your Future. “If your car is just sitting at home and it’s your primary vehicle and no one else’s, you can usually get a lower discount on your car insurance—your daily commute is zero.”

Use Prior Work Experience/Advanced Classes  

If you worked hard in high school and got good grades, you may be able to reap the rewards in college.

Depending on your university, you may be able to use the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement [AP] courses you took in high school toward your college credit hours.

Some schools may accept prior work experience or volunteer experience in exchange for credits as well-you just need to ask.

Behr points out that even if you didn’t take accelerated courses, you may be able to test out of some classes, saving money in the long run.

“The test may have a fee, but it’ll be less than three college credit hours.”

E-mail your questions to Money101@FOXBusiness.com, and let us take off some of the pressure.