I know you think I am crazy, but I have to say that my school shopping is almost done for this coming September. No, I am far from supermom, and I do have a life (or at least I think I do). Instead, I’ve been employing some strategies to help get the best deals possible on school supplies, and as a result, I am usually prepared long before that first bell rings after summer.
Previously, I talked about what I do to get some frugal school clothes. Now, let’s talk about school supplies. These are all of the pencils, notebooks, folders, etc that need to be supplied to the classroom.
In the last few weeks of school, there is the opportunity to pre-order a set of school supplies for the following year. The price depends on the grade, but it costs somewhere between $23 and $28. It comes in a keepsake box (nothing more than brown cardboard with the name of the supply company on it). While this box of supplies is really convenient to have, it is far from frugal. I estimate that with sales and smart shopping, we pay about $5.50 or less for all of our supplies. This year, I estimate our cost will be about $1.75.
It used to be that the pre-order form would list what was in the package, and I would use that list to get started on my shopping. This year they didn’t include the supply list, perhaps because of an oversight or perhaps because they wanted to discourage price comparisons. I’m not sure. Still, it was easy enough to get the list of supplies by asking at the school office. They printed off a copy of last year’s list and told me that it wouldn’t be changing.
Having the list early really makes it easier to buy supplies when you find the best deals. I actually have the list for all of the grades up to fifth, so I could buy very far in advance if I wanted to do so.
Check back and I’ll share with you how I take that list and find the bargains.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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