When I was a kid, the back-to-school season was always one of my favorite times of the year, right after my birthday, Halloween and Christmas.  You see, I've been a die-hard shopper for as long as I can remember and it was always so exciting to know that a new set of clothes, shoes and school supplies were waiting for me once summer ended.

I can vividly remember the anticipation of going back-to-school shopping with my mom.  For at least a month before the actual shopping trip, I'd pour through magazines and catalogs making lists of the styles, colors and types of clothing, shoes and supplies I wanted.  Then, as our shopping date got closer, I would check out all of the sales flyers from the major department stores to see what kind of savings I could net and plan accordingly.

Finally, the night before our back-to-school shopping trip was filled with the same level of anticipation as I would experience on Christmas Eve.  The best part of course, was when I would put all of that planning and preparation to good use and hit the stores.  Since my family didn't have a lot of extra money to spend, I always had to find a way to make our school supply budget stretch as far as it would go.

I took this challenge to heart and attacked it head-on.  Nabbing great bargains on anything and everything I needed was a thrill in itself!  Of course, after the shopping trip was over, I had just as much fun going through all of my newfound loot and coordinating outfits for the first few weeks of school.  One of the things I miss most about being a kid is missing out on all of the back-to-school hoopla surrounding each new school year!

Now that I'm a parent, I see things a tad differently than before.  I see sky high bills, long lines and crowded stores, which I honestly could do without.  That's why I'm glad eBay is there to take the headache out of back to school shopping and help save everyone a lot of money at the same time.

From bicycles to electronics, calculators to clothing, eBay offers it all at discount prices and in the privacy and comfort of your own home.  No more battling the summer heat, the filled-to-capacity parking lots or long lines at the department store anymore.  eBay has everything you need and is open any time of the day or night.  See for yourself just how easy and inexpensive back-to-school shopping can be with eBay!

They're also there with helpful tips to ease the stress of the back-to-school season as well as plenty of chances to win some amazing prizes:

• eBay's Back-to-School Twitter party will be taking place on August 14th between 12:00 - 2:00 PM  (PST).  Find out more information and RSVP at http://www.ebay.com/schoolparty
• Pinterest Backpack Sweeps - (Ends 8/31) - Is your kid heading back to school? eBay’s Back to School Pinterest Sweepstakes will award daily winners a $100 eBay Gift Card to shop for their back to school essentials on eBay.com.  Enter here: http://bit.ly/L9bAil
• Facebook Instant Win Game - (Ends 8/31) - Play the eBay What's In Your Backpack Instant Win Game for a chance to win a $50 eBay Gift Card to do some back to school shopping.  Enter here: http://bit.ly/M35ILD

Make sure to take advantage of all that eBay has to offer this season and recapture the fun and excitement of back-to-school shopping!

Disclosure:  I received a promotional item from Splash Creative Media campaign on behalf of eBay to thank me for my participation.  As always, my thoughts and opinions are in no way influenced by any form of compensation I receive.