Originally published July 31, 2015
Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time resisting a box of new Crayola crayons for 25 cents this time of year? Or how about a package of markers for just a little bit more. Then there’s glue and scissors and notebooks, oh my!
In July, August, and September, the deals on school supplies abound! I’ve been shopping school supply sales since long before I had kids in school (and after I was out of school myself). I have my school supply stash all in its own special box. That helps me keep it under control and also makes it easy to know exactly where to find what we need.
Here are 5 reasons that I like to stock up on school supplies.
1- Make Art Kits– A Fantastic Frugal Kid Gift
I love putting together little art kits for kids. When one of my little ones goes to a birthday party and I don’t have time to make something handmade (like a skirt, t-shirt, apron, etc) or grab something at the store, then we often put together an art kit for the birthday girl or boy. Sure, there are some kids out there who don’t like to get creative and crafty with art supplies, but most kids do. It’s fun and inexpensive to put together an art kit and it’s always well-received (at least for ages 3 to 7 it’s been a hit).
Container— During back-to-school season, you can find pencil boxes for a dollar or less. You can also find the plastic “shoe box” size containers with lids with all the other sizes of plastic bins and they are generally a dollar as well.
Art Supplies— Of course the sky is the limit here. Some of the things we put it are:
- Markers
- Crayons
- Colored Pencils
- Glue or glue stick
- Scissors (if the recipient is old enough to use them responsibly)
By stocking up on the supplies during back-to-school sales, I not only get rock bottom prices, but I also have everything on hand to put together a gift. That’s a major bonus when you’re an hour away from Target and you get a last minute birthday invitation!
2- Road Trip Entertainment
I don’t know about you, but I love new crayons. There’s something special about a new, sharpened crayon that just entices me to take a break and crack open a coloring book. My kids feel the same way. A box of new crayons is magical. Before a long road trip, I pull out a new box of crayons for each child from my stash. I bring along a new coloring book or tablet of plain paper as well. The crayons won’t be in their beautiful pristine condition for long, but I don’t mind when they only cost me a quarter or two.
For older kids, a blank composition book and a new pen is exciting. They can keep a journal, take notes, write stories, or just doodle. With the digital age that we live in, I think it’s nice to pull out some honest-to-goodness paper every once in a while so our kids don’t forget what it is!
3- To Create Other Gifts
There are lots of creative tutorials out there to show you how to make some pretty awesome handmade gifts. Many years ago, I made my kids and my nieces and nephews crayon rolls to put in their “quiet bags” for church. I’ve seen some neat marker holders that hold a sketch pad as well.
Another time, I made my kids their own journals by decorating the front of a composition book for them. They loved having their own personalized journals where they can write (or dictate) the things that are important to them. It cost me 50 cents, plus a little time and love.
If you really want to have fun, search “melted crayons” on Pinterest and see all the creative melted crayon art that people have done. You’ll want to have some extra packages of new crayons on hand, for when the artistic mood strikes!
4- As Backup
Some things just have a way of disappearing around here. Maybe it happens at your house too. The most susceptible seem to be socks, hair elastics, and writing implements. Some days I write phone messages in crayon for want of a pen. The funny thing is that when it’s time to do homework all we can find is pens and not a single pencil. Always having some extras on hand has been helpful.
5- To Donate
Whether it’s putting together humanitarian aid kits for needy children on the other side of the world or donating to my child’s teacher, there are lots of opportunities to give school supplies to those who need them. Halfway through the school year, my son’s kindergarten teacher sent home a note saying that the class was running low on glue sticks and wondered if any parents could donate some. Thanks to my school supply stash, I could easily send some in the next day.
Some stores have collection boxes at the store where you can give supplies to needy children. There are local programs that put together backpacks with school supplies for needy children. When opportunities like this come up, I’m always happy that I have my school supply stash available.
How About You?
- Do you stock up on cheap school supplies?
- What do you do with your school supply stash?
- Does anyone else have a thing for fresh, new, sharpened crayons?
Years go when with our 2 daughters, I bought the orange bucket at Home Depot & would stock up on school supplies. Now that my daughters are grown I still do it. I donate to local school, operation Christmas Child & tags at Christmas. I learned that I can help more families by stocking up now than if I wait and pay full price during the holidays. Now my6 yr old granddaughter is helping me pick up supplies to donate to our local credit union & her school . Not to mention she always like to go thru my stash of goodies. Plus being crafty it helps me out a lot too.
I love stocking up on school supply deals. Not only can I buy plenty of office supplies for our house, but the prices are so low I can buy lots of school supplies to donate. Plus, I always try to buy extras to set back for Operation Christmas Child. It’s amazing how much you can get for just $5 or $10 dollars.
Yes! $5-$10 goes really far!
Ha. Yes, very hard to resist. So hard to resist that I usually get some back to school supplies while not even having children. My local Staples currently has 25 cents Crayola everything. I walked out with a bag full of goodies.
I usually send a care package to my sister who has 3 girls (2, 3.5 and 5 yo) they all go through this stuff super quickly. I send more than needed so my sister gives some away as well.
I’m sure your nieces (and sister) love that!
I love school supplies!! You can’t beat having a .17 cent spiral notebook and .25 cent crayons on hand for a bored kid! I’ve already started stocking up. =)
I totally agree!
I have always gone school supply shopping and loved it as long as I can remember. My mom has had school aged children for over 30 years, and my little brother is about to start his senior year of high school! I am also about to start college (again) in the fall. My mom has always stocked up on supplies so she mailed me things because for the first time in years she won’t need school supplies for little ones. She still had composition books with really hard cardboard covers. Now they all seem to be pretty flimsy.
In addition to inheriting her supplies, I have a Rubbermaid bin, and I have stocked up myself. I’ve spent about $30 and have enough paper, notebooks, pens, binders, folders, index cards, staplers, etc. to last me 2-3 years of school. I also make sure to get other items that I know I will use for our home office needs. I love giving art supplies as presents for the little ones, but I never thought of stocking up on colors this time of year to do so. Thanks for the tip 🙂
How fun that you inherited your mom’s stash!
When I was a kid I loved going with my Mom to stock up. The child who went with her willingly got a new box of Crayons and got to pick out a folder! Every year I stock up on school supplies so that I have things that we can use around the house. It’s nice to have things on hand so we don’t have to run to the store during our homeschool day when we run out.
I’m sure with homeschooling you really can take advantage of a stockpile of school supplies.
I’m so glad that I am not the only one who buys school supplies this time of year like they are going out of style! My personal preference is one subject notebooks. I found a couple of sales with them at $0.25 a piece and then a little later at $0.17 a piece so I bought close to 50 between the different stores. I’m a writer, and I still like to write on paper before I ever put anything onto the computer so this time of year I have the opportunity to save a ton of money over the rest of the year. I have a dedicated shelf for my stash on the bookshelf now too!
I love writing on paper too Amy! I have a one-subject notebook where I write blog post drafts when an idea comes to me. I love that you have a shelf for all your notebooks!
I love school supplies sales as well! Just something about it! I like to stock up on school supplies to put in the Operation Christmas Child boxes. It’s a program through Samaritans purse where you fill a shoebox with gifts for a child (school supplies, toys, hygiene items) and it gets sent overseas as a Christmas present to a child in need, who wouldn’t otherwise receive a gift. It’s a great way to give back and even sweeter when you can get the items you include for a good price 🙂
Great idea! I’m sure they are much appreciated gifts!
We always purchase extra for Operation Christmas shoe boxes too! We’ll also put together a pencil pouch with a few new supplies in it for needy families in the church or our bus ministry kids. We just took a box of 5 pouches with pencils, erasers, scissors, glue sticks, crayons, and rulers in each one, plus 5 folders, 5 comp books, 5 packs of filler paper, and 5 spirals to a struggling family and the total cost of the box was under $20. They weren’t the really “fun” or fancy supplies, but that was more than 1/2 the family’s list to start the school year.
That’s awesome Jamie! I’m sure the parents were so appreciative!
The first few years I was a classroom teacher I would take advantage of the school supply sales for my own classroom. For example, red folders were used for take-home folders, so I would buy a class set at 10 cents a piece and was able to have them ready for the first day of school (inside the folder I marked one pocket Keep and one pocket Return, and on the front of the folder I put a large sticker marked Take Home Folder with the student’s name and my last name on it). This allowed us to begin school with at least 1 necessary to-do done, and all of the initial take-home forms and notes had a safe home. I also stocked up on pencils so that we could begin on the first day with sharpened pencils rather than just having boxes of unsharpened ones. When teaching kindergarten, it made a huge difference for me to have spent those few dollars to have everything ready for the first day so that all my students, who were already nervous about going to ‘big school’, would feel welcomed and I wasn’t rushing around and pawing through their things to have enough for everyone.
Great plan! I think that’s what my kids’ teachers do. It’s like living on last month’s income, only with school supplies. 🙂
I stock up during back-to-school sales too. That’s the best time to buy paper,pens, folders, glue sticks, binders, etc. No school age children anymore, but I love new crayons too. I try to keep them around. Visiting children have something to do, and I can draw when I feel inspired. You also always need paper, pens, etc., so take advantage of these sale. I love donating these items for children who need them.
That’s a great idea to keep crayons on hand for kids who come to visit!