One of my favorite times of the year. Yehp. You guessed it. School shopping!!! I have to admit I LOVE shopping for school stuff. Yes, part of this stems from being a homeschool mom. I love the planning of the things we will do for the new year. I love researching and picking out curriculum. I love coming up with related art projects, and buying art stuff.
But I also love school supplies. Call me weird, but it just makes me happy. I love the smell of brand new Crayola Crayons. I love looking at the brand new paper, markers, and ink pens all neatly stacked ready for the new school year. I have always been this way too, even as a kid. My favorite part of summer was getting to go to Walmart and pick out all the school supplies we'd have to use for the upcoming year.
What I don't love, is paying a fortune for them! As a singe income, homeschool family, not only do I not bring a paycheck to the table, but my "job" "costs" us money too! Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ways to homeschool on a shoestring budget, but sometimes with school supplies, you get what you pay for.
For example, we've found that it's actually better to budget now and spend a little more on things like Crayola Crayons and Ticonderoga pencils. See, you may be able to save a few pennies now, but in the long run when they break much more easily or don't last and you find yourself buying several more boxes throughout the year, what have you really saved. Then again some things, like cap erasers, are cheap no matter what brand you buy, so for those I look for doorbusters. What I mean is stores like Walgreens, Walmart, and the office supply stores often have a few featured items for mere pennies, to get you in the door. They plan on luring you with 25 cent rulers, thinking you'll spend a ton on everything else. But that's where being a thrifty mama comes in handy. Just like with couponing, you only buy the things that are a good price. Feel no shame about leaving with the minimum purchase (or max allowed items) if it is in your budget's best interest! I can't make promises that I'll keep this up, It took me about 2 1/2 hours to go through all the ads and do this, but I figure at least this week, I can pass the info along to all you other thrifty mamas!
I know everyone is looking for different things so I tried to organize them by General Art Supplies, Writing Utensils, Paper/Notebooks, and a miscellaneous section. There are some other deals that are only available at one particular store, or didn't seem to fit anywhere else; those will be at the very end. If I am able to keep this up next week, I will try to stick with this same set up. The deals with *asterisks* to the left of the item are what I think to be a good price this week. This is based on a few things, including if it is a "doorbuster" item, if it is on a rare brand to be sale, the amount the item is discounted, etc. The good deals have one *, the better deals have two ** and the very best deals have the word STOCK UP!!! next to them. I hope this helps you to locate the items you need. Keep in mind that we have several more weeks of Back to School sales, so unless you need it right now, you may want to hold out for the sales of the coming weeks.
Also, this does not include ANY coupons. I may try to add those in later, but for right now, the main ones I know of are Target printable coupons and Cartwheel (seems like I saw $1.50 off up and up school supplies on Target's website), and Rite Aid Video Values by Adperk. There are several school supply ads to watch and save even more money. I just watched pretty much all of them this morning while I was going through the ads. It doesn't take that long. I am looking at the sheet now, and I see $1 off any ink joy, $1 off pilot, $1/2 post it, $1 off 5 star 3 or 5 subject notebooks. Specifically that last one, those are 25% at Rite Aid already, so if you need that Brand, I would print it and check on the price when you get there!
Something else to note, Office Depot and Office Max are essentially one store now. This has been in the works for a while now, but I don't know the details. All I know is, whereas last year we were able to get the doorbusters from EACH store because they had separate ads, this year there's one combined ad.
One more thing. As of right now, I don't get any kind of kickback from doing this blog. I don't get paid to do any of this, so if I make a mistake, sorry! I'm just a mom on a mission to save, in an effort to be a good steward of what fGod has given our family. Couponing and deal shopping for the things my family needs is part of the job I do as a mom, and I put this list up simply in hopes that the time it saves you will bless your family too.
7/13 school
supply prices
Art supplies
6"protactor
**Office Depot/Max, limit 3 $.25
STOCK
UP!!!
12"
plastic rulers
**Office Depot/Max, limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
5"
Scissors
**Office Depot/Max, blunt or
pointed limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
Crayola Crayons 24 ct.
*Dollar General $.50
*Walmart $.50
Penway Kids Crayons 24ct ( as seen in Walgreens Ad, page 4)
Walgreens $.49c
Elmer's 4 oz school glue
DG $.50
Elmer's Glue Sticks
DG 3ct, $1
**Walmart, 2ct. $.50
Walmart 6ct pack $1.97
Target, 12 ct $2.99
School scissors
Walgreens, Wexford brand $.49
Walmart, Fiskars Blunt or
pointed tip $1.47
Colored Pencils
Walgreens, Penway brand 12 ct $.79
Walmart, Crayola Brand 12 ct.
$1.27 (These are on rollback from $1.97-2.47)
Crayola Construction paper,
Walmart, 240 sheets $4.96
Crayola Markers
**Walmart 10 pack, Classic or
Bright (ad shows both thin and original included) $1.27
(These
are on rollback from $1.97-2.47)
Target Crayola, 10 ct. Fine line
only, $1.25
Scotch 3 pk Magic Tape
Target $2.99
Sharpie Permanent Markers
**Walmart 8ct asst.colors or 4
ct. Neon, $3.97 (rollback from $5.54-$5.97)
Target. 10 ct. file or ultra
fine colors $6
Sterilite Pencil Box
Walmart $.97
Water colors
Walmart, Crayola brand washable
8 pk, $1.97
Writing Utensils
Cap erasers
Office
Max/Depot 25pk Office Max cap erasers $1 STOCK UP!!!
#2 Pencils, generic
Walgreens 8 pack, $.49
**Walmart, 72 count generic #2 pencils, $3.97 ** Cheapest Generic pencil
price, STOCK
UP!!!
Office Max/Depot, Office Depot/Max brand, 12 ct. $1
Bic 0.07mm Mechanical Pencils
**Walmart $1.46 (on rollback
from $2.64)
Bic 4 ct. Highlighters, multi
neon
Walmart, $1
Bic Round Stic
DG $.50
(original) Pens Black or Blue 10 ct
Rite Aid, Xtra Life $.99
Walmart, Xtra Life $.97
Bic White out bottle
Rite Aid $.99
Bic Xtra Smooth Cristal Pens
Target, $1
Dixon #2 Pencils
Walmart 20 pk, $.97
Expo Dry Erase Markers
*Walmart, 4pk plus bonus, black
or Multi. $2.97(on rollback from $3.77)
Walmart, 16pk Multi colored $14.97 (rollback
from $17.97)
Neon Eraser, lg
Walmart $.25
Papermate Mechanical Pencils
*Walmart 20 pk, $2.77 (on rollback from $2.97)
Papermate Profile Pens
*Walmart, Black or Asst. Colors,
8ct. $4.77 (on rollback from $5.24)
Papermate Ink Joy 100* Retractable
pens
**Walmart, Black or Asst.
Colors, 12 ct $3.77 (on rollback from 3.97.
**IMO, These are the best pens.)
Pentel Mechanical pencil lead
refill
Rite Aid $.99
Pilot Easy Touch
Rite Aid, 2 pk $.99
Pilot G2 Ink Gel Pens
**Walmart, 4pk asst. colors or
black, $3.97
CVS 5ct asst color or black,
$4.99
Stanley Bostich Personal
Electric Pencil Sharpener
Office Depot/Max, $10
Ticonderoga Pencils, #2
**Target 24 ct, $2.99 (These are
our favorite. It may not get better than this price. so STOCK UP!!!
U.S.A. Gold #2 Pencils, 10 pk
Walmart $1.84
Wexford Highlighters
**Walgreens 7/$1 with in ad
coupon, p 4 (limit 7) STOCK UP!!!
Paper and Notebooks, etc
Avery 5-tab 2 pocket divider (These have folder type pockets AND divider
tabs)
Walmart $2.94 (was $3.27)
Avery Index Single Set Dividers
Office Max/Depot Buy 2 get 1
free (lowest priced item free)
Wexford Index Tab Dividers
**Walgreens $.49
Folders
2 pocket folders
**Walgreens 7/$1 with in ad
coupon; Limit 7 STOCK UP!!!)
Target, Up and up brand, 2
pocket $.50ea
Poly Folders w/ brads or prongs
Target, Up and up brand $.50
Walmart, $.50
Paper
Notebook Filler Paper, wide or
college ruled
Walgreens $.79, 130 sheets
**Walmart, $.82, 150 sheets
5 star 100 count Filler paper,
with Reinforced Holes
*Target (choose graph, wide, or college ruled) $2.99
Paper and Spiral Type Notebooks
Composition book, 100 sheets
Walgreens, Wexford brand $.79
Walmart, $.50
Spiral Notebooks, generic
**Walmart 5 pack of 70 sheet
spiral notebooks, $.97 (less than $.20 each, so STOCK UP!!!)
Office Max/Depot Brand 1 Subject
notebooks with poly cover $1
Mead Composition Notebooks, 100
ct.
Rite Aid 3/$1.98
Rite Aid 25% off select Mead Five Star
Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebooks
Rite Aid 3/$1.98
Rite Aid 25% off select Mead Five Star
Mead 70 sheet fashion notebooks
**Walmart $.50 (If you want
these, this is probably a STOCK UP!!! price)
Mead and Mead 5 Star composition
Notebooks
Walgreens Buy 1 Get Free, select varieties
Rite Aid 25% off select Mead Five Star
Walmart, Mead 5 Star 1-Subject
Notebook with poly cover $1.97 (rollback
from $2.47)
Target
Mead (ad does not say 5 star) 90 sheet 1 subject notebook with poly cover $1.99
Top Flight 1 Subject spiral notebook
(College or Wide rule)
**DG 3/$1
Office Max/Depot Fashion
Notebooks $2
Binders
Generic Economy 1 Inch Binder
*DG $1
Avery 1 inch Durable View Binder
Walmart $2.47
Wilson Jones1" Ultra duty
D-Ring View Binders and [IN]PLACE 1" Heavy Duty Binders
Office Max/Depot, Buy 2 get 1
free
Other supplies
Dry Erase Board
Target Dry Erase Calendar
14 X 14 magnetic dry erase calendar $7
Planner
Target Mead Weekly/Monthly Planner $6.99
Hp Ink Cartridges
Rite Aid, in ad pg 9, advertised as $12.99 to $34.99
Calculators
Office Max/Depot, Texas Instruments, TI-30XIIS Scientific
Calculator, $12.99
Backpack/lunchbox prices
Walgreens,
Backpacks $10.99 and up are Buy
1, Get 1 Free
Walmart
Dinosaur or LadyBug Backpack
$6.88
*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Backpack or Frozen, $9.88
Camo or Red and Black Checkered
Tech Flap Backpack
Target
Backpack with Matching
headphones $25
Backpack with laptop sleeve $35
Circo backpacks $13
Circo insulated lunch kits, $7
Embark insulated lunch satchel
$12
*buy this, get a 3pk blue ice for $1
Office Max/Depot
50% off select backpacks
Store Specific deals and doorbusters
Office
Depot/Office Max
**Generic
Glue, 4 oz , limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
** Blunt or
pointed limit scissors, limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
**Office
Depot Brand 3 pk Erasers , limit 3 $.25 STOCK
UP!!!
**Office Max
brand 5pk Erasers limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
**Office
Depot Brand Copy Paper $4 (plus 50% back in rewards, see ad), limit 4 per household STOCK UP!!!
**Office
Depot/Max Brand 2 Pocket Folders, $.01 ea, limit of 10, STOCK UP!!!
*Must spend $5 in store
** Really
Useful Boxes, Asst. Colors, .14L limit 3 $.25 STOCK UP!!!
50% off all
Writing Best sellers, see ad page 2
Rite Aid
Rite Aid 25% off
select Mead Five Star Binders and Notebooks (excludes 70ct notebooks)
Buy one get 2nd 1/2 off All Tape, Glue, and Writing
Instruments
Walmart
** 5 pack of generic brand 70 sheet spiral notebooks, $.97
(makes them less than $.20 each. STOCK UP!!!)
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