Buying school supplies for one child can feel expensive. Buying them for five? Let’s just say I’ve learned a few tricks over the years.
Back-to-school shopping has become one of our biggest seasonal expenses, but I’ve also learned that spending more doesn’t necessarily mean your child is better prepared. After years of stretching our budget, these are the money-saving tips that have helped our family head into a new school year feeling organized without overspending.
Shop Your House First
Before I buy a single notebook, I gather every leftover school supply from the previous year. Half-used notebooks, extra pencils, scissors, rulers, crayons, calculators, and glue sticks often have plenty of life left. It’s amazing how much money you can save by simply taking inventory first.
Check with Your School Before You Shop
Not every classroom requires families to purchase supplies. Some Arizona school districts provide basic school supplies for every student, while others ask for only a few personal items. Before filling your cart, check your school’s website, teacher communications, or supply list. You may discover you need much less than you expected—or even nothing at all.
Reuse What Still Works
A backpack doesn’t have to be brand new to carry books. If last year’s lunch box still keeps food cold and the water bottle isn’t leaking, we’re using it again. Younger siblings are often happy to inherit hand-me-downs, especially if they get to personalize them with a fun keychain or stickers.
Buy the Basics During Sales
This is the time of year when stores offer their best prices on notebooks, crayons, folders, pencils, and glue sticks. If you have multiple children, buying a few extras now can save you from paying full price when someone inevitably runs out halfway through the school year. Amazon, Walmart, and Target are priced competitively for the basics, but bulk stores might have more options when you need to buy for a small army. Just double check the price per item before purchasing.
Let Each Child Pick One Fun Item
Kids love expressing their personalities, but they don’t need an entire collection of matching character supplies. I let each of my kids choose one special item—maybe a notebook, pencil pouch, or folder—and then we keep the rest practical. They still get something they’re excited about without blowing the budget.
Label Everything
This might be the easiest way to save money all year long. Label backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets, water bottles, and supply boxes. Lost items have a much better chance of making it back home when they have your child’s name on them. NameBubbles.com offers laundry-safe labels! For items that we know will be passed down, we typically just stick to the last name.
Remember What Really Matters
After buying school supplies for five kids, I’ve realized something important: my children won’t remember whether they had the trendiest backpack or matching notebooks. They’ll remember feeling confident walking into their classroom, knowing they were prepared and supported.
One thing we’ve started doing is setting aside a little money for each child’s teacher. Once teachers share their classroom wish lists, we try to pick up a few of the items they need most—things like disinfecting wipes, tissues, Band-Aids, copy paper, dry erase markers, candy for rewards, or extra pencils. Teachers spend so much of their own money on their classrooms, and it’s one small way we can say thank you.
We also try to give back in other ways when we can. In our community, there’s a wonderful program called Backpack Snacks that provides easy-to-eat meals and snacks for children who may not have enough food over the weekend. It’s become another tradition for our family to contribute when we’re able.
Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t spend money where it matters most. For us, it means being intentional—saving where we can, avoiding waste, and making room to support the people and programs that help our kids succeed.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned after buying school supplies for five kids, it’s this: almost every pencil, glue stick, and eraser will eventually get lost, broken, or shared with a classmate. So don’t stress about having the fanciest supplies—your child’s art project will look just as cute with a basic pencil box. (That said, I’m definitely still buying Ticonderoga pencils and Crayola crayons. Some things are absolutely worth the extra money if they work better or last longer!)
Save where it makes sense, splurge where it counts, and remember that your child won’t remember how much you spent—they’ll remember the excitement of a brand-new school year.
