Get School Supplies for Pennies

As the new school year approaches, it will be time to purchase new school supplies. Although school supplies can be fairly expensive for most of the year, if you look right before the school year begins, you can save a lot of money. I literally pay pennies for almost all of my child's school supplies. Here is how I do it.

Shop The Sales

The most important thing to keep in mind when you are purchasing school supplies is to shop the sales. Since most school districts in Arizona start in August, almost all of the deals for school supplies are in July. If schools in your area start in September, the sales might be at their peak in August.

At Wal-Mart, I usually can get Crayola Crayons for $.20 for a pack of 24 crayons. I can find school glue and packages of pencils for about $.10 each, and folders to hold papers for another $.10. Spiral notebooks usually run from between $.05 and $.10 each. I also shop at Staples and Office Max, where I can find similar good deals. I've gotten colored pencils and rulers for $.01 in some of their sales. Once these sales start, they usually run for about three weeks. Starting mid-summer, be sure to start looking for them.

Stock Up

The school supply companies figure that you will only buy one or two packages of crayons or pencils during all the great back to school sales. During the rest of the year, you will pay well over $1 for the same items. However, if you buy a full year's worth of school supplies in the summer, you won't have to pay full price on school supplies ever again.

I usually purchase 9 or 10 boxes of crayons during the summer sales, for one child. Now that my son has discovered the joys of coloring, I might pick up 15 this summer. Why run out of crayons in the middle of the school year and have to pay full price? I give my daughter one new box of crayons a month. She doesn't go through pencils as quickly, but I bought plenty to last the entire year. If you expect your child to use the supplies during the school year, purchase them now. Also, don't forget supplies for your own home office while you're at it. I pick up enough pens, spiral notebooks, and mechanical pencils to last me a year while I'm purchasing school supplies for my daughter.

Check Your School's Supply List

Since my daughter is homeschooled, I am able to purchase whatever school supplies that I think that she will need for her upcoming grade level. If your child goes to a public or private school, you will probably have a required supply list to deal with. Many stores will have these available during the local sales. You also might be able to find them on your school's web site, or by contacting the teacher. Be sure that you get the items on your school's list. Some schools are known for asking for "refill supplies" in the middle of the year; if that is the case with your school, you might want to pick up extras.

Regardless of whether you need to follow a special list or not, you will probably want to pick up some supplies to keep at home. Most schools will take all the items that they have on their "required supplies" list at the beginning of the year and combine them into a communal pile. They then dole out the supplies to all the children as they are needed. With crayons and pencils at these rock-bottom prices, you might as well pick up a few that you actually get to keep, especially if your child is artistic and likes to draw and color at home.

In most cases, it doesn't have to be expensive to shop for school supplies. By taking advantage of the sales and stocking up when the sales are at their peak, you can save a lot of money on your child's school supplies. If you love bargain hunting, you might even find it enjoyable.