Stretch Your Dollar on Back-to-School Products
Back-to-school shopping can drain your budget quicker than a clearance sale at Kohl's. Check out these smart-shopper back-to-school products that'll save you a buck or two ... right now or down the road.
- Buy pencils in bulk. Your kid's going to use a million of them this year and they're cheaper by the dozen.
- Don't skimp on erasers. Yes, your kid will beg for the ones that smell like fruit, but they usually just smudge and tear the paper. Buy a bunch of classic Pink Pearl erasers and tell him about the good old days.
- If your kid needs a lock for her locker, check out the Wordlock and save yourself from buying several of the regular combination locks when she forgets her combo (for the fourth time this year).
- Save cash and the environment. Instead of plastic zipper bags for lunches, invest in one or two reusable sandwich wrappers.
- Skip the lightweight cardboard and go for the heavy-duty plastic folders. They come in a zillion colors and will actually last the entire school year (instead of just the first marking period!).
- Consider buying Crayola Twistables colored pencils and crayons, which don't need to be sharpened and are less likely to break than the traditional kind.
- Glue sticks are one thing you don't want to buy in bulk. Pick up only a couple at a time and look for glue sticks with threaded caps (like Uhu Stic Glue Sticks), which will help keep them from drying out.
- Spend the extra bucks on a super-sturdy backpack. A few extra dollars now beats having to buy a replacement in January when the straps fall off.
- A whole carton of poster board may seem excessive, but you'll save a pile of money per sheet and the kids can use them for school projects and posters for the homecoming game. (Plus, no repeat trips to the store for more when your kid spells "Science Project" with two A's.)
- A set of Sneaker Balls won't actually make your kid's sneakers last longer, but they will make them smell decent enough so that you'll be able to stand keeping them around longer.
- Use clear contact paper to cover any paperback workbooks or notebooks your kid will be expected to use all year long.
- Individually wrapped hand-sanitizer wipes go in lunchboxes and backpacks and might just save you from buying tissues and cough medicine.
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