No doubt about it, there will be a rush of folks hitting local retailers to get last-minute school supplies and clothes before Monday’s official start of school, but what’s the best way to tackle school shopping?

Local mothers had differing opinions.

Peggy Craig, who has one daughter, said she was purchasing clothes Thursday and plans to do supplies today, just in time for the tax-free weekend.

“I’m doing clothes today, simply because I wanted to catch the sale,” she said. “These clothes may not be here tomorrow.”

Candy Parker, mother of five, said her family tends to do their back-to-school shopping in spurts because “it’s easier that way.”

“We basically just pick up items when we’re in town,” she said. “Of course, I have some high schoolers, so they don’t know what they need yet.”

When asked if it were difficult to school shop with five children, she said “no.”

“What’s difficult is when (the retailer) is out of nearly everything,” she said.

This year marks the first time Mesilla Jenkins has had two children in school, but said she managed OK.

“We shopped for school supplies one day and clothes the next,” she said. “I have a second grader and a kindergartener.”

Jenkins said she estimates her family spent around $150 just on school supplies.

Mother of four, Kim Thompson, said she prefers to do the school supply shopping alone.

“It’s just been chaos when I try to take them all at one time,” she said.

As for clothing shopping, she said the best idea she’s found is to take her children individually.

Thompson has two children in elementary school and two in high school, and said she has no idea how much she has spent thus far, but said it was “too much.”