Save Money on School Supplies
Supply Box, Reusable Supplies, Sales Circulars & the School Store
Jun 24, 2009
For the greatest savings, start thinking about back-to-school shopping when the previous school year ends. Keep a school supply box, reuse old school supplies, shop back-to-school sales circulars and look for hard to find supplies at the school store.
Stock a School Supply Box
A school supply box is an ongoing project. Stock it with school supplies that are purchased on sale or that were used in previous years. When the price is low on paper, pencils, crayons or other school supplies, buy a few extra. Add them to the box so basic supplies will always be on hand. When a note comes home from school mid-year stating that more school supplies are needed, they won't have to be purchased at a time when the items tend not to be on sale.
Reuse Old School Supplies
When used school supplies come home in the backpack at the end of the school year, sort the items that can be reused from those that are used up. Sturdy items, like clipboards, calculators and plastic folders, can be used again. Colored pencils usually have a lot of life left in them after only one year of use. Re-sharpen and store in a pencil box for the next school year.
Invest in sturdy plastic folders, instead of paper, when buying new school supplies. They cost a bit more, but they hold up to wear and tear much longer than their paper counterparts and can be used for more than one school year. Plastic folders can also be wiped clean with a damp rag. When there is a sale on plastic folders, buy several in various colors to stock the school supply box.
Shop Back-to-School Circulars
As soon as the school year ends, department stores start advertising sale prices on back-to-school supplies. This is when stores start advertising five-cent boxes of crayons and one-cent folders. Watch for these special deals and buy only those sale items when shopping to save the most money. The sales will change from one week to the next, so check the circulars throughout the summer months to take advantage of the lowest prices on various back-to-school supplies.
Shop the School Store
When items on the back-to-school shopping list can not be purchased at a sale price, check the school store before paying full price at a department store. Some school stores are able to sell school supplies at or near cost. School stores also tend to carry specific brands of school supplies that a teacher may request. For instance, instead of searching the town for a specific brand of calculator, see if the school store has it.
Start back-to-school shopping as soon as school ends in the spring. Keep a stocked school supply box and reuse old school supplies. Shop the back-to-school sales circulars and finish shopping for school supplies at the school store.
