17 Tips on How to Find Cheap School Supplies
When I saw my first “school supply” list I was in awe. I did not realize I would need to run all over town shopping sales to buy these 20 items the teacher requested.
The following year, I had two kids in school and the list and spending grew!
I realized, just like everything else in my life, I was not going to pay full price for this super list of school supplies.
Boy, times have changed! When I was a kid, I absolutely LOVED back to school time! I’ve always been a bit of an office supply geek! – I once got mad at my hubby for using my new large post-it notes for his daily “To Do” list! Haha! But I don’t remember teachers sending home lists of supplies we needed except for higher grades. The schools provided all the learning tools we needed and we were left to pick out a cool trapper keeper and some paper…Maybe a few pencils.
But picking out all of that paper mania was SO much fun and still IS if you know how to shop.
Truth be told, many schools are in dire need of supplies. I know this first hand because I was a teacher for 13 years before starting this blog. Maybe it was the age group – I taught middle school for 10 years – but my kids didn’t seem to have the basic supplies and often came to class without a writing utensil. (This is probably no surprise to any parents of middle school students.) Many kids were left to fend for the “borrow cup” on my desk, a swirled mess of cropped sticks – some with just barely enough lead to make a scratch.
I demanded collateral for each and every one of those pencils. Why? Because I knew I wasn’t getting another set until the second semester and if I ran out, I would be spending my own money to buy more! (Bless you ALL teachers that spend their hard-earned money to promote learning. I Love ya’!)
Unfortunately, when I sent home a supply list, most of the time I never saw a single item brought in except for the rare box of kleenex.
Therefore, when my kids started school I wanted to make sure they had everything they needed for the best learning experience possible. But spending a fortune was not an option, so this momma found some ways to find cheap school supplies and save on back to school!