S/O School Supplies

[Guest]

I know this is going to seem sacrilegious here, but I have never shopped the sales for school supplies. Every year I'll read about how well everyone did and wish that I had been more interested when the sales were happening. So - if you are a sale shopper, where do you go? Do you need special coupons? I don't get the newspaper, so I just figured I miss the sales. Give me the lowdown on school supply shopping. :)

[gardenmom5]

where I go depends upon what I'm looking for.  staples, target, fred meyer.  some want coupons, but you can usually find them in their flyer in the store because they know not everyone gets a newspaper.  I stopped mine years ago.

[Lara in Colo]

I get the Sunday paper and only buy the sale leaders.

So this week I bought markers, pencils and glue.

Next week there might be rulers, sticky notes and colored pencils on sale.

I am fortunate to have two office stores within a mile of my house, so I can easily get to the sales.

 

Towards the end of the summer I will look at my stash and then buy what I don't have.

Then I go to Walmart or Target just buy the rest.

It is REALLY helpful to buy extra supplies when they are on the discount shelves after public schools have begun-- if you can buy lots then and save for next year. I did that one year when my children were in public school and got enough markers (at .25 a package) for three years.

 

I also buy the expensive three ring binders at the thrift store for $.50-1.00 each.

[City Mouse]

I don't do it now, because we live too far from the store, but I used to like going to Target for school supplies sales. Each week there would be a couple of different items really cheep such as crayons crayons for $.25 or Fiskars kid scissors for $1.

The next week there would be different items on sale.

 

When I lived in the big city and Target was 5 min from my house I usually went every week anyway. Now that Target is 2 hrs from my house, buying regular priced items at my local store is cheaper than the gas to get to a big box store.

[MommaOfalotta]

Ive just started couponing, so I will probably be saving more this year than any previous year. My experience from past years has taught me to wait until after ps starts back (a few weeks after) the mark downs are ridiculous. In a good way ;) Probably common sense to most, but its the best tip I've got!

 

ETA: I have always bought from WalMart, but if you are using coupons you might check Kroger.

[MomtoCandJ]

I'm hoping to get all that dd needs at Walmart

[MomtoCandJ]

I'm hoping to get all that dd needs at Walmart

[Um_2_4]

I will get the lost leaders when I can stop buy (.01 stuff at staples). Don't forget to use your star teacher card at Staples and you can get more than the limit (I think 25 last year).

I am being more picky this year as I know what I have left and what I need. I will only get crayola crayons/markers and elmer's glue. 

I will also hit up the clearance at Target after the PSs go back. I have gotten construction paper packs for .49, folders and lunch boxes for cheap. (my kids like packing a lunch box for outings/parks/errands, and I want the folders for covers for my proclick  LOL). This year I hope to find some good brands of oils and color pencils on clearance at Target. I've seen them in previous years, but never picked them up as my kids were younger.

Most stores that need coupons you can print online I think? (Office depot/max/staples)

[Dmmetler]

DD and I went to Staples yesterday for .01 index cards, ballpoint pens, erasers, and copy paper. Plus a new USB pen drive to  transfer files for printing from DD's computer to mine to get over the $5 minimum to use the .01 deals.  We'll do the same each week for awhile, where we get the cheap deals, and buy what DD needs. I have friends who still teach in urban schools who have few kids come with supplies, so I'll pass on those .01 deals that we're not going to use (like the ballpoint pens, because DD still uses pencil) to those folks.

[twoxcell]

I shop at Staples, Walmart, and Fred Meyer mainly, but if I see a sale somewhere else I'll grab it too. Staples has new sales weekly starting this week including 1cent items. Walmart has the same discounts for the whole back to school season. Fred Meyer's has weekly deals. You can see all these adds online. One other place I get some art supplies is Michael's with coupons.

[regentrude]

Walmart. Last year I paid 10 ct for a spiral notebook and 50 ct for a pack of loose leaf paper

[TammyinTN]

My dh picked mine up yesterday at the Navy Exchange. I needed bigger ticket items this year. A new Ti-84 calculator, 5 subject notebooks college rule, folders and index cards and paper for the printer. I spent 150 this year, but it's done.

[Momof3littles]

I go for index cards, writing implements, dry erase markers, spiral notebooks, sharpies, copy paper, post it flags or notes, glue sticks, extra packs of crayons to stash in the vacation/travel stuff, my purse for restaurants, etc.

 

I will pick up a few Better Binders. I bought 3 to try at Staples a few weeks ago and want a few more.

 

A lot of the items are things I use and keep in my desk.

 

Today I picked up the 12 pack of fine point sharpies and a 4 pk of Expo chisel tip dry erase for $1/each with coupon at Office Max. Oh, and Papermate Clearpoint mechanical pencils.

 

I am grabbing a few folders this year to use with my Proclick books as covers. Someone posted that on TWTM recently, and I had never attempted that, but thought it was worth trying.

 

Some of the super sale products are shoddy and I don't buy any of those. Today Office Max had folders for a penny, but they were so ridiculously thin I had no interest in even trying to use those for Proclick book covers.

[Baseball mom]

Don't forget to pick up unders and socks during the back to school sales. Not only are they usually on sale but they have more in each pack.

[blondeviolin]

The big one we do is Toys R Us. They usually have buy 1 get 2 free crayola, which really saves for us because we buy things that usually aren't included at other stores: big packs of crayons, the jumbo crayons, colored pencils, etc.

 

This year I'm also in the market for a pencil tin.

 

But otherwise, we don't need much...

[Myeightkiddies]

The big one we do is Toys R Us. They usually have buy 1 get 2 free crayola, which really saves for us because we buy things that usually aren't included at other stores: big packs of crayons, the jumbo crayons, colored pencils, etc.

 

 

This is the first year that we have lived near a Toys R Us.  Last fall they had the buy 1 get 2 free Crayola products.  I stockpiled crayons, markers, twisty pencils, etc.  I'm set for a few years for very little money.

 

As for other school supplies, I may go if the deal is really extraordinary.  Otherwise I avoid school supplies areas.  They are usually packed full of people, and I dislike wading through crowded aisles.

[Lara in Colo]

This is the first year that we have lived near a Toys R Us.  Last fall they had the buy 1 get 2 free Crayola products.  I stockpiled crayons, markers, twisty pencils, etc.  I'm set for a few years for very little money.

 

As for other school supplies, I may go if the deal is really extraordinary.  Otherwise I avoid school supplies areas.  They are usually packed full of people, and I dislike wading through crowded aisles.

I also cannot stand typical school isles (I cannot breathe and start to panic) I did like going to Office Max on a Monday at 9am --- the whole place was empty!!!!

 

But Walmart the week before school??? *** ick **

[plath]

I do mostly Office Max and Meijer because those two stores are within 5 minutes of my house.  I can usually stock up on dry erase markers, washable markers, composition books, binders and crayola crayons.