The back to school sales have started for fall 2009.

Yes indeedy. Take another look at your newspaper sales flier pile today.

Last year, I noticed a lot of bargain pricing on school supplies immediately after the 4th of July holiday during the past couple of years that lasted until first week of August (Monroe County Fair week for my local readers). Well, today is the day after 4th of July. Look at your sales fliers.

Smart shoppers will get out their kids’ supply lists, or do an inventory check this week to see what needs restocking, so they start looking for the bargains during the early season sales.

I do not recommend you wait until after the first day of school to go shopping so you “see what the teacher wants.” Michigan families on a budget should buy as many basic supplies as they can during the early sales, and pick up specialty items after school begins if they need to.

Here’s why: Most Michigan K-12 schools start after Labor Day, which is later than in many parts of the country. If you wait until your kids are in school, it is the end of the national back-to-school shopping season. You’re just not going to find a lot of sale prices at that point. You may be lucky to find what you need.

And here is a tip for those of you with college students in the family: that week or two before classes start is already pretty busy. If your student is away for the summer, you need to plan on a few days to get hair cut and medical appointments scheduled, go clothes shopping, purchase textbooks if the professors release their book lists early, contact the roommates for move-in details, and actually move in. (In the meantime, the college students will want time to “hang out with their friends” before everybody starts their fall schedules. Trust me on that one.)

Therefore any shopping you can do now for college supplies such as typing paper, notebooks, pens, coffee and laundry soap will save you a lot of hassle during the point when you have to get all those other errands done.

Even if you don’t have kids at home, you probably still use a certain quantity of office supplies during the year. This is a good time of year to stock up.

So, here is some of what am I finding in the sales fliers for the week of July 5-11:

• Walgreens: Buy two get third free on Sharpie pen collections, Mead notebooks and other items. Coupon in flier for Kleenex.
• Target: All Small and Mighty laundry detergent (easy size to carry to laundry room in dorm) at $4 each. Kleenex at $1.29.
• CVS Pharmacy: Folgers coffee at two for $6. HP inkjet print cartridge selected models at $22.99. Envelopes, highlighters and mechanical pencils all at 99 cents a package. Today and Monday free after Extra Care Bucks on invisible tape and No. 2 pencils.
• Aldi: Look on the flip side of the grocery flier for items such as a hot pot kettle for $8.99, utility shelves on wheels for $19.99 and bean bags at $16.99.
• Meijer: Dry erase board starter set at $6.99. Academic year planner at $7. Assorted backpacks for $7.99. 10-pack of pens for 79 cents. 4-pack highlighters or a bottle of correction fluid at $1.99 each. Meijer tissue is on the 10 for $10 sale.
• Wal-Mart: (ad in USA Weekend via Detroit Free Press and in Parade magazine via The Monroe Evening News) has spiral notebooks at 25 cents each, Elmer’s glue at 30 cents a bottle and Crayola 24-count crayons for 30 cents.
• Kmart: Crayola 64-pack crayons or 24-count colored pencils at $2.69 each. Two-pocket/three-prong portfolios at 10 cents each. 10-pack pens or one-pack Wite-Out at two for $1. Georgia-Pacific copy paper two for $7.