If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.  ~Edgar W. Howe

It’s that time again, to dust off the school shoes and backpacks and head back to school!  I’m sure that I am not alone in saying that as much fun as I’ve had with my kiddo this summer, we are looking forward to the structure of our school week.  There is a bit of prep that goes into “back to school” time, and the biggest of those is shopping for school supplies!  I’ve compiled my Top 5 Places to Buy School Supplies – complete with my pros and cons.SchoolSuppliesCollage

Top 5 Places to Buy School Supplies

5.)  Office Max 

Pro: This office superstore is a convenient place to school shop because they are everywhere and they have a good supply of harder to find items, especially for older students who require more specialized supplies.

Con: Unless you really keep your eyes peeled for the Sunday ad’s, I personally don’t think Office Max has the best prices on school supplies.  They do offer a lot of good deals at times (think $0.01 glue sticks), but you have to do your research and get there on the right day!

4.) Staples

Pro:  Again, Staples is a larger office supply store that will offer more specialized supplies.  Plus, I am a victim of good marketing and just like the idea of shopping there whilst saying “That was easy!”

Con: Like Office Max, the prices are a bit higher in my opinion.  Also, for the younger kiddos, I haven’t seen quite a “fun” of a selection of character items (folders, spirals), as at other stores.  Better shopping choice for the older crowd.

3.)  Wal-Mart

Pro: Super low prices and also located everywhere.  While I have personal reasons for not  shopping at Wal-Mart on a regular basis, I am willing to break my rule for the super cheap school supplies.  You can pick up your entire list of supplies, some basic school clothes, a few groceries, all while having your oil changed.  All moms know the benefit of multi-tasking, so for that reason alone, I’ve got Wal-Mart at my number 3.

Con: Wal-Mart can be really crowded and hard to navigate sometime if you’re shopping during prime time hours.  Wal-Mart also loses points because even though they have approximately 728 check out lanes, at any given time there are probably only 4 open.  Which equals long lines and impatient kids.

2.)  Target

Pro: Target is like heaven to me.  It just makes me happy, regardless of what I am shopping for.  Last year was Hudson’s first year of school and we had a “date” at Target.  It was awesome – we got a treat from Starbucks (bonus!), and headed to the school supply aisles to pick up the requisite items for Kindergarten.  They had a great selection, decent prices, and I was able to get every single thing on the list.   PS – Target has a new app called CartWheel and you can download a bunch of extra sales and coupons before you shop!

Con: If you are anything like me, you go into Target for a few specific things, and inevitably, a whole bunch of extras manage to jump in your cart.  So, for that reason, you may or may not end up spending an extra $50 on cute stuff.  (Have you seen their great sunglasses wall!?!)

TargeteCard

1.)  Amazon.com

Pro: I heart online shopping – and Amazon is in my top 2 shopping resources online.  No lines, shopping in your jammies after the kids are in bed, excellent selection, good prices, save time and money on not leaving your house!  Bonus: If you have an Amazon Prime membership (totally worth it), you can get free 2-day shipping on eligible items.  If you have a lot of kiddos to buy for, or just don’t want to deal with the back to school craziness of shopping, this is the way to go, hands down!

Con: If you aren’t careful and don’t pay attention to the Prime Eligible stuff, or from the source where the items are coming from, the shipping can add up fast.  Also, sometimes the items can take a while to ship, so you have to read the shipping details for your items.  However, if you do all of that, it’s definitely worth it!

 

Bonus Tip:  Support your PTO/PTA and purchase school supply packs from your school.

Pro:  I don’t know if all school districts offer this, but in our district, the PTO offers grade level pre-packaged school supplies.  You have to order your set at the end of the school year (for the next year), but your child will receive them in a lovely package all shrink wrapped together with all of the supplies that they need.  It ended up saving us a lot of time and money, and in the lower grades, the kids don’t keep the specific supplies that you purchase anyway (they all go into a “classroom” set), so this was an awesome deal:  It supports the Parent Teacher Organization and you’ll get a lovely email that says:  “Hello!  Yes, Hudson will have a kit waiting for him at his desk on the first day of school:).  Thanks!”  SCORE!!

 

 

Are you ready for back to school?  What is your favorite place to shop for school supplies?

 

 

 

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