5 Tips on School Supplies Savings

Want to save an average of $20-$30 on Back-to-School Supplies? 

No Gimmicks, just great deals

I love this time of year! The hustle and bustle of everyone preparing for school. Fresh, untouched crayons, erasers, and pencils. CRAZY, awesome office and school supply deals! As you prepare for your kids going back to school, I’m going to share some fun tips with you on how you can save an average of $30+ per kid on their school supplies for the year. With those kinds of savings you can spring for an extra container of clorox for your kid’s classroom (or for your own home)!

Tip #1: Know what’s on your school’s supply list. 

Simple enough, right? Print off a copy of your school supply list so you can cross off things as you go and you won’t drive yourself bonkers buying multiples of the same thing (unless you want multiples).

Don’t know what your school list even looks like? We’ve got you covered. Check out the links below to see what your school district is asking you to provide:

Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch https://www.cfbisd.edu/students/school-supply-lists
Lewisville https://www.lisd.net/Page/4964
Plano https://www.pisd.edu/schoolsupplies

Make sure to check your individual school’s website for any additional list of supplies. Some schools are asking for extra copy paper for announcements that will go home, labeled water bottles, extra construction paper, etc.

Tip # 2: Shop what you have

Does your kid REALLY need a new backpack/lunchbox? Or with a little jazzing up will the old one suffice? How many pens/crayons do you have stuffed away in your supply closet that are just waiting to be used? Do you have an extra folder or two in the office that aren’t really doing much that your kid could repurpose for their schoolwork? Bust them out and stick them in your school supply pile!

Now, on to the GOOD tips! How do you REALLY save $30+ on school supplies?!

Tip #3: Have Patience + Shop at Multiple Stores 

Now, I know what you’re thinking, who wants to have to schlep to multiple stores WITH your kids in the Texas heat to pick up 50¢ school supplies?! Sounds like a meltdown ready to happen, right? Well, the great thing about shopping these days is you don’t have to even leave your house to get all your shopping done! Your days of sweating in the Texas heat just to catch a bargain are for the pre-CoVid shopper! Now, the majority of our stores have FREE shipping, or at the very least, FREE drive/pick-up. (And you thought there was nothing good about a pandemic, lol). Lucky you, you don’t even have to leave the AC, in order to get what you want. All you’ve got to do is wait, in your perfectly air conditioned home or car, for an EXTREME deal to snag it for your ‘shopping cart’.

And shopping at multiple stores does not have to be a pain, as long as you know/remember what your shopping list is (see how I tied back to Tip #1 there). If you have that physical copy I told you about earlier you can cross off things as you find them on sale at different stores. With a physical reminder in front of you you don’t have to worry about over-shopping, and by looking at different stores you can make sure you’re getting the best price for each item. Now, about that pricing…

Tip #4: Know what is a good deal

I have compiled a list of price points for you to look for while shopping. If you stick to it (which won’t be hard if you look at multiple sale ads) then you will easily be able to save money.

Some great stores to compare prices across include:
Staples.com (Free shipping – NO MINIMUM)
Walmart.com (Free Curbside Pickup – $35 Min)
Target.com (Free Curbside Pickup – NO MINIMUM)
OfficeDepot.com (Free Curbside Pickup – NO MINIMUM, but not available for all items)

Now on to your ‘stock-up’ prices:
*Note this is not an all-encompassing list, just a round-up of the majority of items we see on a school supply list

25¢ OR LESS
25¢ – 1 subject notebook (college or wide ruled) -Staples until 8/8
25¢ – 24ct Crayola Crayons -Staples until 8/8
25¢ – Blunt or pointed kids scissors – Walmart
15¢ – Paper poly-pocket folder with fasteners – Staples until 8/8

50¢ OR LESS
50¢ – Elmer’s Washable Glue Sticks Disappearing Purple, 2 ct – Staples until 8/8
50¢ – Plastic poly-pocket folder with Brad (fasteners) – Staples and Target  until 8/8
50¢ – 1 Elmer’s School Glue, 4 oz – Staples and Target until 8/8 (25¢ store brand)
50¢ – Pen + Gear Composition Book, Wide Ruled, 100 Pages – Walmart

$1.00 OR LESS
75¢ – Crayola Colored Pencils -Office Depot until 8/8
75¢ – Crayola Markers  – Office Depot until 8/8

$5.00 OR LESS
$3.99 – 12×18 Assorted Colors Construction Paper (Crayola 48 Sheets Giant Construction Paper) – Target
$4.09 – 12×18 White Construction Paper – Staples
$3.50 – EXPO Dry Erase Marker, Chisel Tip, 4ct – Black
(Target has some that come with a bonus 5th marker!) until 8/8
$1.50 – Sandwich Ziplock Baggies (100 ct)

Don’t forget your masks or face shields! Many of our friends and family members are making these at great, affordable prices (most around $5/ea) with a ton of fabric/tie options. However, if those masks are still not within your budget, (and you don’t have the time or means to make one yourself), I would suggest checking out these ones:

2 for $4 kid’s masks –  Target,
5 for $12.30 ($2.50 ea) – Old Navy’s

$16.00 OR LESS

Unless you are buying a backpack with incredibly popular characters on it, you should be able to find a backpack and lunchbag combo for $16 or less. Not planning on packing a lunch? You can find backpacks as low as $3 at Walmart and Dollar General. *Use a coupon at Dollar General with your purchase and see these prices drop even LOWER!

*Another great place to check for backpack deals include Kohl’s and Amazon.

Tip #5: Remember Sales are Cyclable.

If you miss out on a good deal, don’t worry. Keep your eyes open and know that while some prices might not get higher the closer we get to the start of school, some will drop even further.

If you don’t want to search the sales ads each week I would recommend signing up for notifications from a deal finding website. The Krazy Coupon Lady, for instance, does a pretty good job of combing through sales ads to find the best deals.

Last but not least, Amazon to the rescue if you can’t snag a deal by this Saturday. Grab this all-in-one school supply kit.

About Author:

Sarah Hess is a mom of 5 (6,5,4,3,1.) She resides in Carrollton, TX and moved here from Indiana, Utah and Florida in January 2019. She has been a CECPTA member since Feb 2019, Green Coordinator since August 2019, and the Fundraising Director for 2020-21. Her children are in Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue playgroups. She graduated from the Utah Valley University in 2010 with a Bachelors in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Anthropology. She is a talented photographer for Photography of Sarah Mae, who does family portraits, weddings and portraits. She loves discovering new trails, picnic spots, and places to cool off with a horchata. She is fun, full of personality and has a great smile!