Back to School

How to Save Big on School Supplies

Sefarim

Capital Seforim is a great place to look for sefarim on the supply list. Sometimes, you can even find used sefarim that are already bound, saving binding fees and protecting the sefarim for the year.

School supplies

Stores such as Walgreens, Staples, Office Depot, Walmart, and Target have great back-to-school sales. Staples has even offered commonly listed supplies for 50 cents to a dollar each.

Dollar Zone has a selection of supplies from the Bazic brand, a pretty decent-quality brand. They have quite a selection of loose-leafs in hard-to-find sizes, which are more expensive in other stores, and two-packs of “fat glue sticks” cost just one dollar.

If your children’s schools require Elmer’s white liquid glue, buying the gallon size and refilling the bottles as needed is more cost-effective than buying numerous small bottles.

Dollar Tree carries packs of multicolored highlighters and different-sized, less commonly found spirals as well as four-packs of pink erasers (compared to a two-pack of Pink Pearl for over a dollar).

In addition to its super school supplies sales, Staples excels at matching competitor’s prices in store on the same item. Simply bring proof of the priced item in a different store, such as a store circular or a printout of an item sold and shipped by Amazon, to checkout, and they will price match and discount it by an additional 10 percent.

Michaels offers percentage-based coupons which can be found online or in a circular. Teachers with a valid ID (SCHI or public school teachers) can get 15 percent off by showing ID. This percentage-off discount can only be combined with a dollar-off type of coupon.

Jansport offers a lifetime warranty on its briefcases if the receipt is saved. Simply contact the company and provide proof of purchase, and they will repair the briefcase free of charge. Kipling offers teacher discounts of up to 10 percent.

Five Below is a fun place to go once you’re done with the basic school-supply shopping. You can find some fun little accessories for your child to make school exciting (gel pens, locker accessories, reversible sequin notebooks, etc.) without breaking the bank.

If you enjoy steep bargains and happen to be in the area many times over, keep on top of the weekly circulars during back-to-school sales season and buy items on your lists as they go on steep sale (Staples often has pencils for a penny, Crayola has crayons for 50 cents, etc.), and then fill in at the end of the summer whatever you didn’t yet purchase.

Make sure to buy extra school supplies since during this time of year, school supplies are the cheapest they will be throughout the year. It’s always convenient to have a stash at home so you don’t have to run out and need to buy at full price.

School Shoes

For younger children, school shoes can be purchased at a discount in Royal Family Shoes South, which stocks both clearance and regularly priced shoes. Additionally, Perroquet sells shoes for $65 a pair.

Women’s and teen shoes can be purchased at the Royal Howell store with the BMG discount card; they honor the discount even on clearance.

If you are a certified teacher with ID, you can get 10 percent off online at Zappos.

By giving DSW a shoe donation, you will earn points. Two pairs earns you a $5 reward, and during a promotion you can earn a $10 reward. Rewards and coupons can be combined for incredible savings.

More trendy, stylish shoes for your teenage daughter can be found in a DSW in a more upper-class neighborhood such as Freehold or Rahway (or online). Alternatively, Step in Elegance has an outlet in the basement which also offers good prices.