How 6 Personality Types Can Save During the Back-to-School Season

Everyone knows you can save on back-to-school supplies by running from store to store snagging deals. However, that's not the only way to keep cash in your pocket during the weeks to come. Here are six other ways to save that may speak to your personality.

[Read: How to Stay Debt-Free During the Back-to-School Shopping Rush.]

The Social Butterfly: Organize a Clothing and Supply Swap

Love being the life of the party? Then host an event to celebrate the return of the school year. Instead of asking everyone to bring a dish to pass, invite attendees to bring their children's outgrown clothes, leftover school supplies and this year's to-buy list. At the party, friends can catch up on the summer's happenings while they stock up for the fall.

There may be a benefit in extending a clothing and supply swap beyond your immediate circle of friends. More people means more goods available for the taking. "Most areas have local mom Facebook groups and school Facebook groups," says Christine Cline, managing director of Retale, an app for shoppers to find local sales and savings. Those groups can be a good place to host a virtual exchange if an in-person event isn't feasible.

The Entrepreneur: Sell Your Excess While the Market is Hot

Business-minded people might find now is the perfect time to make money off unneeded office supplies, backpacks and children's clothing. Students heading to college may also be on the hunt for small appliances and dorm room furniture. Cash from the sales can then be used to buy new supplies for the upcoming year.

While a garage sale may seem like too much work in the midst of the end-of-summer hustle, modern technology makes it easy for buyers and sellers to connect. "Organize an online or Facebook garage sale to get rid of items your child no longer needs," says Priti Khare, director of public relations from Ebates, a website offering cash back for online purchases.

[Read: 12 Best Back-to-School Sales for 2017.]

The Recycler: Use Discounted Gift Cards

If you hate the idea of anything going to waste, you'll love the idea of discounted gift cards. People who have unneeded cards sell them at a reduced price via websites such as Cardpool.com. "One great thing about discount gift cards is that you can create your own sale," says Shelley Hunter, a spokesperson for GiftCards.com who goes by the moniker of "Gift Card Girlfriend."

This strategy sometimes means being patient while waiting for a card from a favorite retailer to become available, but the savings can pay off. It also doesn't require as much advanced planning as you might think. "Cardpool has a mobile app, for example, so you can search for a discounted gift card while you're in the checkout line," Hunter says.

The Creative: Stack Savings Through Multiple Sources

There's no reason to be content with saving one way when you can use multiple strategies at the same time. Sites like Ebates often provide coupons plus cash back on the same purchase. Sales in stores may be combined with loyalty programs that offer points or similar rewards for future savings. Or shoppers can use a discounted gift card along with a sale and coupon.

What's more, creative shoppers know to look beyond the big box stores and office supply retailers. Drug stores, such as CVS, often provide a prime opportunity to stack loyalty savings with coupons and sale savings.

The Traditionalist: Make Dinner at Home a Priority

While new clothes and school supplies are often seen as the major expenses related to going back to school, food has the potential to cost even more. Not only do kids need lunches packed and after-school snacks, but dinnertime might get more expensive too. During the rush between classes, sports and other activities, families might be tempted to hit the drive-thru on a regular basis.

Manish Amin, senior brand manager for Uncle Ben's rice, says cooking can be a challenge for busy families, but is doable with a few simple strategies. These include doubling up on recipes so the extra can be frozen or used for lunch, creating meals out of simple pantry basics and mastering a few basic go-to meals. To encourage families to cook together, Amin notes Uncle Ben's is offering a $15,000 grand prize for the creation of a rice-based meal through its Ben's Beginners Cooking Contest.

[Read: What to Do About Back-to-School Anxiety.]

The Minimalist: Skip Shopping Right Now

Perhaps the best way to save during the back-to-school season is to simply stop shopping. While items such as notebooks and pens might be necessities from day one, other purchases can probably wait.

"Sometimes it may work to wait until later in the season to shop once the big retailers start their clearance sales," Khare says. That's the prime time to purchase clothes or buy supplies with an eye toward what will be needed the following year. Those advance purchases can then be tucked away for the next school year.

There is a secondary advantage to using this strategy. "This is perfect for kids who tend to change their minds on what they want after they see what other kids are wearing," Cline says.

Savings during the back-to-school season can involve more than simply shopping the sales. Depending on your personality, you might find one of these six strategies more appealing instead.