Back-to-school time always brings memories of the Dew-Orr Department Store in Arkadelphia, Ark., where I made a once-a-year excursion with my mom.

I got five pairs of blue jeans, five shirts, five sets of underwear and socks and, if we were prosperous at the time, new shoes.

Mr. Orr always gave me a brand-new pocketknife at the cash register. That’s a back-to-school accessory you won’t see as a giveaway in any stores near you.

These days back-to-school shopping is a little trickier, especially when it comes to technology. But there are ways to turn shopping for the middle school and high school years into savings that pay off for the entire term.

If you use an ink jet printer, for instance, you’ll find that a laser printer will save you money in the long run. Anyone who regularly buys ink cartridges knows buying replacement cartridges can be darn near as expensive as buying a cheap ink jet printer. There will be a lot of printing to do, and much of it will be in the form of reports that do just fine in black and white. Combined with the regular load of printing for parents, having a laser as a second, or even third, printer can pay for itself in just one school year.

Most families can do just fine with a monochrome printer — one that only prints in black and white. The ink jet can be reserved for times color is needed. Check out the reviews at www.cnet.com to find a printer that’s right for your home.

Two models to check out — both made by Samsung — are the ML-2851ND (prices vary but you should easily find it at a bit over $200) and ML-1630 in the same general price range. Both receive favorable reviews at Cnet.

Color laser printers once were reserved for high-end business use, but prices have fallen. Most families would still be better served hanging on to their ink jet for color and using a laser for black and white, but your situation may vary.

School has become a lot like the office. Many projects start there but are completed at home. Some of the homework can involve music and video. That means a flash drive (also called a jump drive) is essential. These tiny, portable solid-state drives simply plug into a USB port and can store data just like a regular hard disk. Prices have really dropped over the years. You can find a jump drive in the 2 to 4 gigabyte range for around $20. I favor the Lexar brand.

The next item on my list is a cellphone. Some schools won’t allow them at all, while others allow them to be carried but not used, so check with your child’s school. In many cases, kids as young as 9 or so already have one.

Everyone has his or her own view on this but I will say the obvious: It’s a dangerous world, and a phone gives your child a way to call for help if needed. Some cellphones include GPS tracking technology that enables a parent to locate the phone — and presumably the child — at any time.
Interested? Use Google and enter this search to read about the technology and offers from various cellphone companies: trackable GPS cellphone.

A lot of stories about back-to-school technology focus on computer games, iPods and iPhones, digital cameras and camcorders. I do not see them as back-to-school necessities.

I also haven’t talked about desktop computers and laptops. Most families either have them or can’t afford to buy more. There is a good argument for a separate school machine by the time a child is in high school. Now that many parents also spend evenings either working or playing at the computer it may be close to a necessity. Just make sure to use adequate parental controls on the student machine.

I’ll offer more tips on computer shopping in future columns. But most brand-name computers sold today are plenty adequate for school use.

My final tip on back-to-school technology shopping: Your child may know more about what’s out there and what’s needed than you do. So at least listen — unless they suggest a pocketknife.