Back to School the Thrifty Way!

I'm really excited at all the school supplies I've gotten, so I just had to blog about it. I've been diligently going to my office supply stores and buying their deals every week for about the last five weeks and it has really paid off. Literally.

Here's a big picture of what I have. (Keep in mind I have six kids that are in 1st thru 11th grades and two preschoolers.)


Here's what's in the picture:

30 pronged folders

10 vinyl pronged folders

3 3-ring binders

24 spiral notebooks

9 packs of notebook paper

2 packs of computer paper

25 bottles of glue

32 glue sticks

2 packs of colored pencils

11 packs of crayons

7 dry erase markers

8 highlighters

9 sharpies

72 pencils

3 pencil sharpeners

6 pencil cases

92 erasers

75 pens

1 pad sticky notes

2 packs card stock

1 sample of label stickies

1 pack paper clips

1 pack rubber bands

5 rulers

2 tote bags

and

a partridge in a pear tree

Now, you know all of that will last us at least the first week. Maybe two.

Seriously, I only need to get 3 more pencil cases and probably one more pack of computer paper, but that's about it. I had some construction paper and an primary paper pad for Tristan (first grade) left over from last year.

Now the big thrill for me is how much I actually spent. I've been going once a week for the last five weeks or so to my favorite office supply stores....

Office Depot

and

Staples......

who also both had teacher appreciation days with special breakfasts, give aways and totebags filled with goodies. They are so nice to include homeschoolers.

Well, I spent a total of about $30 for all of it. I just estimated and so I didn't figure it down to the exact penny.

I'm really excited about the cardstock. It came from Michael's and is on sale through Saturday BOGO for a penny. They also offer a 15% teacher discount, so I got both packs of paper for $3.67 or so, when one pack is normally $3.99- even at Walmart.

I'm not sure how much longer these stores will have their school supplies on sale, but I know Office Depot will still have penny deals until Saturday and Staples until Wednesday. They usually have a limit, and Staples usually has a required mininum $5 purchase, but you can easily purchase a rebated item and get most of the $5 back.