It’s time to shop for school supplies again! And as any parent knows, quality school supplies can start to cost a pretty penny. Fortunately, you have plenty of options to save money without sacrificing too much quality to ensure your child still has everything they need. Let’s look at a few ways you can find cheap school supplies and keep your kids equipped this fall!

Save money on school supplies with these 5 shopping ideas! Share on X

Finding Inexpensive School Supplies

Whether your child needs art supplies, notebooks, rulers, or more, you can’t go wrong with a little strategic planning and a few unconventional stores. Save money and time by trying these tips for your back-to-school shopping this fall:

1. Use coupons at hobby shops
2. Shop online
3. Buy secondhand or gently used
4. Buy in bulk
5. Visit the Dollar Tree

1) Use Coupons at Hobby Shops

This is especially useful if your child needs or wants a lot of art supplies like markers or poster paper. Many hobby shops offer weekly or monthly coupons or sales that can save you a decent amount of money on most of their available items! Check out the coupon pages for the three most popular hobby stores:

• Hobby Lobby
• Michael’s
• JoAnn Fabric

2) Shop Online

Online stores carry plenty of school supplies, usually at very competitive prices. Better yet, you’ll be getting brand new stuff! Here are a few excellent websites to investigate:

• FiveStar
• 6pm

3) Buy Secondhand or Gently Used

Most of the time, gently used school supplies are just as usable as brand new. Even a notebook may just need a page or two removed. You have a couple options for secondhand school supplies. You can opt to browse a thrift store like Goodwill, or you can check for free or inexpensive used supplies online. A few websites to watch include:

• Craigslist
• Freecycle
• Ebay
• Nextdoor

4) Buy in Bulk

Quite a few school supplies are less expensive when you buy them in bulk. This works especially well if you’re trying to stock up for the future, supply a large group of kids, or sell some of the excess yourself! Buy your school supplies in bulk here:

• Oriental Trading
• Discount School Supply
• Amazon

5) Visit the Dollar Tree

Dollar store purchases have an undeserved stigma as cheap and low quality. While this is true in plenty of cases, basic school supply staples like crayons, pencils, or notebooks are generally the same quality as at any other store. Best of all, everything’s only a dollar apiece! See what your local Dollar Tree has to offer or browse their online store for a wider selection.

Pro Tip: The Dollar Tree offers a back-to-school bulk section too! See how much you can save shopping there in bulk.

Save Money on School Supplies

Cheap school supplies are surprisingly easy to find in many different places while maintaining a reasonably high level of quality. Send your kids back to school with brand new or practically new equipment without breaking the bank!

Join the conversation to learn more about managing your back-to-school budget and supplying your kids with everything they need.