I was strolling through the men's clothing department at Wal-Mart yesterday and realized something: it's not that cheap.

Plain, ugly, Faded Glory jeans were $12.88 and oP polos are $13. Of course that's a lot cheaper than Macy's but it's also pretty poor quality clothing. A lot of families will head to Wal-Mart because it seems like it would be a cheap place to do back to school shopping but the reality is that you can do much, much better. Here are a few ideas:

• TJMaxx and Marshalls: if you limit your kids (and yourself) to the clearance rack, you should be able to find plenty of nice, name brand stuff for less than you'll pay for much lower quality stuff at Wal-Mart. Example: I recently found American Eagle jeans for $10 at TJMaxx. That's less than the Faded Glory ones are at Wal-Mart, even though American Eagle jeans retail in the $40 range.
• Plato's Closet: The absolute best place for teens. With brands like American Eagle and Abercrombie in gently used condition at 80% off mall prices, it's worth a bit of a drive. Bring friends!
• Steve & Barry's: Recently filed for bankruptcy but still operating all of its stores, this chain offers shoes, sweatshirts, jeans, t-shirts, etc all at $8.88! Great place to buy stuff with college logos.

Also, check local thrift shops and consignment shops, if you can talk your kids into it. With stores like TJMaxx and Steve & Barry's, you should be able to do your back to school shopping just as cheap, if not cheaper, than you could at Wal-Mart and you/your kids will look infinitely cooler.

Every day, WalletPop will be bringing you information about a fantastic freebie. Like what you see? Check back tomorrow for more!

It's back to school shopping time and, if you're like a lot of families in this era of $4-a gallon gas, you're looking to spend as little as possible.

WIth Staples, you'll be able to get rulers and pencils for free! You can get a free box of pencils and a free plastic ruler just for showing up.

Some other bargains mentioned in the flier include 20 cent binders and 50 cent pen/pencil boxes.

Chances are, unless your budding intellectual is heading off this fall to become a graphic designer or a mechanical engineer, you don't need to take out a second mortgage just to get them a new computer.

The Dollar Stretcher provides plenty of reasons why every student should have a computer at their disposal when they enter the hallowed halls of Academe, despite the already high price tag that comes with college. Today there are more choices than ever before when it comes to finding a computer that fits your student's needs.

And as The Dollar Stretcher also points out, forgoing a Mac and picking up discounted student software at the college bookstore will save you lots right upfront.

The article points out a cool new model of laptops called subnotebooks that are small, low-powered, low-cost laptops which are suitable for handling typical student activities such as paper writing and web surfing. If you are looking for a more traditional notebook this fall there are still plenty of deals to be had on laptops and desktops which pack a little more punch. Purchasing a refurbished laptop or PC is a great way to save and still get a decently spec'ed out machine.

Here are a few deals out there right now on good back to school machines.

With gas prices soaring and the economy stagnating, a lot of families are looking to cut the back to school shopping budget this year.

A suggestion if you fall into that category: try Target. The prices are in the same range as Wal-Mart, cheaper on certain items on sale, and the quality is so much better -- essentially comparable to Old Navy or similar lower-end well-known labels.

A quick search through the clearance section of Target's website turns up a great sale on Cherokee-brand corduroys: all boys sizes $7.49, 50% off the retail price of $14.99. Take a look and, if your son is into cords, buy them in both colors:

• Boys' Cherokee® Carpenter Corduroy Pants - Ebony
• Boys' Cherokee® Carpenter Corduroy Pants - Olive

To browse the rest of Target's back to school clothing selection, click here for boys and here for girls.

Call me a miser, but a lot of the headlines about weak consumer spending bring a smile to my face. People have been overextending themselves for a long time and the hippie in me believes that a recession may be just what need to bring our focus back to what's really important.

The USA Today reports that "New back-to-school duds and supplies will be at the bottom of many family shopping lists this fall, with 71% saying they will spend less on back-to-school items this year than last year." According the Deloitte survey, 83% will cut back on clothing.

The USA Today coverage continues without a hint of irony: "More say they plan to do back-to-school shopping at dollar stores than at department stores, office supply stores (such as Staples) or off-price stores (such as TJ Maxx).

It's back to school shopping season but most families aren't exactly in a position to spend hundreds of dollars on new clothes to help Junior feel cool in high school.

Aeropostale, a cheaper version of Abercrombie and American Eagle, is offering these polos for $7.99. The retail is listed at $34.50 but, honestly, you'd have to be pretty stupid to pay that for an Aeropostale polo. But they're a good deal at this price.

For more Aeropostale back to school stuff on clearance, click here.

My colleague Tom Barlow reported recently on back to school marketing strategies of many companies, but one in particular caught my eye. J.C. Penney will soon be offering up a game for girls called "DorkDodge," in which players maneuver past the "undesirables" in order to get to their dream guy.

I didn't know us dorks had been relegated back to the bottom of the caste system! You'd think with us running the Internets and making beaucoup bucks supporting your online poker addictions, the tendency toward labeling us as "undesirable" would have passed.

Corporations take note, the people who run your infrastructure, create your websites, and these flippant little webgames you so easily use to disparage those without popping pecs, washboard abs and perfect vision, are the dorks, the geeks and the nerds. It is OK for me to call myself a geek, I self identify, I am a geek and I am proud of it! It is not OK for you to go putting down a whole segment of society just because we don't look like Derek Zoolander!

If I were to create a game called "Dumpy Dodgem" where it was the goal of boys to avoid girls without an anorexic waistline, a perfect tan and blond hair, I'd be run out of town. Society as a whole is so concerned about the image we grind into the minds of young girls about what they should look like and do, but when it comes to boys, it's apparently still OK to snub anyone who doesn't fit the Dawson's Creek Mold.

So it's a little early for back to school shopping but with a price like this, why not?

For just $3.90 -- marked down from $12.99 -- you can buy your youngster a High School Musical "Locker Gear" kit. Choose from Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay. I refuse to admit that I could tell you who played who, so you will have to Google that for yourself.

According to Amazon, the kit allows your child to decorate a dry erase board, magnetic folder, and sparkling mirror with sequins, trim, character stickers, and more, all included.

The risk here is that High School Musical could be passé by the time September rolls around. But I doubt it.