School Supplies for Less

Sometimes it seems like getting the kids off on that first day of school can feel the same as when that final package goes under the Christmas tree. What a lot of work! If you're an old hand at this or you have one of those cute little kindergartners this year here are some strategies to make the back to school runaround not quite so wild.

Shopping Strategies

Backpack - If you need to buy a new one it is sometimes a better idea to invest in one that is a little more expensive but will hold up for several years. If your child wants a back pack with the latest cartoon fad on it then see if you can find an applique or patch with that character on it. Sew it on then next year when your kid likes something else-rip it off and sew something else on.

Pencils/Pens -I almost never buy my kids pencils. Every time they go to a birthday party, carnival, fair, church event, or even school itself what do they come home with? Another pencil. So far they are all a standard No.2 and because they can't possibly use them all I save them. When school starts they take off with maybe an Easter pencil, or one that says "Eat at Joe's" . They enjoy the variety and I enjoy not paying for them. As for pens we still buy them but in large packages.

Glue - At the end of last year did you have plenty of glue bottles with about an inch of glue in the bottom? Did your frugal sensor come on and say "Hey Mom, what if you poured all those one inches together and came up with a full bottle?" So start with recycling the old glue bottles. Then after that, if you still have all those little empty glue bottles, wash them up and go out and purchase the largest container of white school glue you can find. Refill your bottles with that. My kids always run out of glue by midyear so all they have to do is bring home the glue bottle and we refill it at much less the cost. (Plus I don't have to go out in January to shop for glue!)

Notebook - If you are trying to get your child on the organizational track then buy them a three ring binder. Spirals are great but they just don't benefit organization. Another good thing to have at home is a three hole punch. Every time your child brings home a worksheet, school calendar, assignment list etc. punch three holes in it and keep track of it. If a spiral with folded up papers drops so may the papers. If a binder with papers locked in drops you're chances are much better of not losing the homework.. A good place to find binders dirt cheap is at a yardsale. People bring these things home from work and think they'll have a use for them. I've picked up an entire box of large binders for a dollar. My son wanted to buy a binder for his Pokemon cards. I priced them at $9.99 and thought it was way too high. Instead we used a white binder(cost .25) and then put Pokemon stickers all over it. He enjoyed creating his own binder and the stickers were a birthday gift so I enjoyed saving about $9.75. Also a plastic case in front of the binder is good for the pencil sharpeners, erasers, rulers and whatever else your child needs that year.

Folders - Folders can cost anywhere from .25 to $1.00 at this time of year. Now, if your child has their heart set on that folder with the cute little puppies on it, then o.k. spend the 49 cents, but if you can get away with it, there are plenty of resources for free folders. Every time someone sends us something in the mail in a folder, we save it. We have folders from church, insurance deals we didn't go for, companies who send things to my husband. Next time you get something in a nice folder, don't throw it out-save it. You may not have a use for it today, but you know when your child says to you at 9:45 pm on a Thursday night, "Hey Mom, I have this report due tomorrow, do we have a folder to put it in? " Quickly hit your stash of scavenged folders, Make a cover page on your computer, paste it on the front and send Mr. Plan Ahead off to bed.

Paper, Construction Paper, Tissue Boxes, Crayons, Pencil Boxes, etc. - Instead of shopping for these items at a department store, try a dollar store first. For example, you go and pay $3.00 for a pad of construction paper and find the same size for only a dollar at the dollar store. You can save some substantial money during back to school shopping, just by going their first. Notice I didn't say "And you'll be finished?" Sorry, the dollar stores always have some of the items you'll need but not all. I remember one year searching high and low through dollar stores, department stores and even office supply stores for a Second Grade Writing Tablet. I finally sent my oldest to school without it and a note to the teacher. "Finding supplies shouldn't be like searching for the lost city of Atlantis--please tell me where this thing is!"

Last Year's Leftover Supplies - Don't throw them out! After you gather the glue together, you can also take the broken crayons and put melt them together to make crayon cookies. I've seen this done using candy molds. My daughter came home with a little turkey crayon with probably thirty different colors in it. Save the paper whether it's lined, construction, white and put it in a box for your child to use as recreational art paper. You can also put those mismatched markers in an art box for your child. My kids have a big box of crayons and markers that have come from many different boxes. I even found one big bag of crayons at a yardsale.

So if you're out there buying all those new school clothes and find by the time you get to the actual school supplies your budget is low, refill the glue, get out the free pencils, and head back to the stores knowing you can do this for less!

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