Five steps for saving money (and sanity) while school supply shopping!
Ahhh, sweet unscheduled summertime! You made it 180 grueling days of lunch packing, homework checking, and bus stopping. The end of year report card is in hand, your mind is on beach vacation, and you notice more papers in the folder. School supply lists for the next grade level. Maybe this makes you teary. Your baby is going to be an [next grade]er. Time is moving too fast! Maybe you’re less teary and more so wondering - do I ever get a break from planning for the next thing? The mental load of invisible labor necessary to make life happen in a household is significant.
Take a breath. We’ve got you covered.
We will share a structure that makes school supply shopping easier, while at the same time, making the planning visible so you can potentially delegate to a partner and - when the time is right, teach your child how to do this. When it’s time to think about this - hopefully after your restful beach vacay - here are five steps to simplify your school supply shopping - particularly if you’ve got multiple kiddos - and communicate the task to others, making the invisible load visible. These tried-and-true steps will save you headache, time, and money! Efficiency all around!
Five steps to cost- and time- efficient school supply shopping
Step 1: Gather all the supply lists for your children together in one place. If they weren’t sent home in report cards or mailed to your home, check school websites, ask in community-based social media groups, or check in with another parent of a kid in your child’s class. Last resort: Call the school. Educators have so much going on, try not to bug them unless other options fail. Teachers, we love you!
Step 2: Combine each individual supply list into one master list. Instead of listing items by child, count up how many total of each item you need for your household of kids (36 glues sticks, 4 packs of colored pencils, etc.). This means you’ll be referring to one document instead of multiple supply sheets. Creating this master list will also help you later when you sort the purchased supplies into piles for each kid. Options for creating this combined include:
Handwritten list
Notepad app on your phone or tablet
Spreadsheet
I’m an online spreadsheet girly (Google for life!), which I can create, edit, and view on any device - laptop, phone, or tablet. And then each summer, I make a copy of the spreadsheet from the year before, with all of its formulas built in to sum things up, and I’m ready to roll. As your kids get older, you can involve them in populating the document themselves, transferring the responsibility for this task to them when they’re ready. I want to SHOW them the mental labor so they value it and teach them structures to manage it. And for my kids, I hope this equips them to be good and equitably involved partners in their future. Bottom line - Mama can’t be the only one who can solve problems. And bonus, I can share access to the document with them and my partner.
Step 3: Next, take inventory of what you already have. Last year, your kid needed 16 Ticonderoga pencils and they came in packs of 24. BAM! You may have an extra 8 in the box from last year. A box of Kleenex? We’ve got those in bulk in the laundry room closet. Save yourself money by repurposing or gathering what you might already have. I like to add a notes column to my spreadsheet to remind me of these repurposed items.
Step 4: Check the websites of a few vendors and figure out which store sells which products at the best price. This step is completely optional, but valuable if you’re concerned about the budget - or have limited time and want to make sure stores have what you need. Don’t knock yourself out here, y’all, but especially during back to school shopping season, stores run sales. You can typically take advantage of them without too much trouble. You get to decide the priorities - the pretty colored binder vs. saving the few extra bucks per item. I typically open three tabs on a browser, load the three websites, and then record in my spreadsheet which store has the best price. This guides my purchasing in the final step. Our family checks Amazon (often NOT the cheapest during back to school season, as an aside), Target, and Kroger (where we shop weekly anyway). Also:
For online purchase, keep in mind free shipping minimums (it would be better to pay a dollar more at one store than save a dollar on the item, but trigger a shipping cost) as you search.
Some stores have in-store only deals for back to school, inviting you to come in for $1 markers so you’ll meander down other aisles and overspend on others, making back the money from their discounted merchandise. Doh!
It’s up to you whether you want to keep it simple and order it all online, hit a store you’re already frequenting, or some combination. Just make it work for you and your kids.
Step 5: Place your orders and involve your kids in sorting and labeling their supplies. Again, the goal here is showing them the otherwise invisible work that goes into school preparation - AND scaffolding and supporting them to do this independently one day. Plus, involvement in back-to-school rituals will likely create excitement for them as they think about seeing friends and beloved teachers again.
Ready, set, go!
If this resource is all you need, good luck and may the sales be with you! But if you need more support, here are additional resources:
Check out the sample spreadsheet below I created for our family last year. Create one on your own and voila!
Or maybe you’d like a link to a template that’s ready for use? It’s available in my shop!
Maybe you need to delegate the school supply shopping task entirely. We can manage school supply ordering for you! We’ve researched the best online prices and can save you time - aggregating your list, sourcing best prices, and placing orders. Why not let us help prepare your kiddos for a new school year so you can focus on taking them on a memorable summer date instead? Shoot me an email with your school supply lists and I’ll reply with a quote to get everything shipping to your door.
Want to purchase? Click on the image above to jump to our shop!
We can help with this - and so much more!
At Laura Kassner Consulting, our suite of Life Wife services goes far beyond school supplies. Our mission is to reduce your mental load so you can pursue things that bring you joy. From devising systems to make your home function smoothly to research and planning skills to make memories or navigate big life decisions, we are here to support you. Book a free 15 minute consultation and let’s discuss what is weighing on your mind.
