I just finished shopping for school supplies!

[LimitBreak]

This year I spent almost $2 per two-pocket folder. My son needed 4 of them so I spent almost $8 just for folders. I didn't like the ones I bought for K last year because halfway through the schoolyear, the 3-hole punches ripped. This year I bought the sturdy plastic ones.

I guess I could have just bought extras of the cheap ones & replaced the folders once they fell apart? :001_huh: However I convinced myself that it's good to have consistency throughout the year, therefore I must buy the more expensive & sturdy folders :lol:

Also I was bummed out that my son Did Not want a brand new school bag this year. While at the store I kept asking him "How do you like this one?" He kept replying "I told you I want to use my old one!!"

Really, I'm just a sucker for cool school supplies!

[MBM]

We're all done, too. Yay!

[WordGirl]

I got ours yesterday but still need to get backpacks from Lands' End.

[Shay]

[QUOTE=LimitBreak;1910674]This year I spent almost $2 per two-pocket folder. My son needed 4 of them so I spent almost $8 just for folders. I didn't like the ones I bought for K last year because halfway through the schoolyear, the 3-hole punches ripped. This year I bought the sturdy plastic ones.

Several of my kids prefer the plastic ones, and they hold up so well that I've sometimes recycled them for the next year.

[mich311e]

We finished school shopping on Friday and school starts Wednesday!

I printed up the supply list for 2nd grade and I'll try to get some good deals when Target starts to clearance the school supplies. :)

[LibrarianMom]

Our school sends home supply lists in May when school gets out. I found I could put together about half of the things they needed by using things we already had at home or items they took to school last year that didn't get used much. The remaining items I'm going to buy next week. Our state is having a tax holiday on some school supplies and clothes beginning Friday.

[Carmen_and_Company]

I'm still purchasing as I only buy when items go on sale for the lowest price of the season. We also are school supply snobs and like specific pencils, pens, notebooks, and etc. In addition, we buy items only made in America or from recycled or alternative materials only. I usually finish a week before school begins.

[ktmo]

I was a little sad when I got my DDs school supply list - 1 plastic folder. That was it. I have been looking forward to school supply shopping for years, and I get the list and it was 1 thing. :o So, I have been done shopping since the day after kindergarten orientation, when we got the list.

[talexand]

I wouldn't wait for sales, whenever I wait they just sell out and I have a hard time finding everything. Target already has all the common items on sale. 25 cents for spiral notebooks, $1 for 10 colored pencils, $1 (I think) for 24 #2 pencils. We bought ours yesterday and only had trouble in the eraser bin. They were completely sold out of erasers. :001_huh:

I paid $60 for all three of my kids but I'll spend more later for new lunch boxes and one needs a new backpack. I like to get quality backpacks. I bought two Nike backpacks last year at an auction. It was to benefit research of a rare brain disorder that my friend's daughter has. Nike donated the backpacks so I love that all the money went to a good cause. After a year of hard use all they needed was a good washing and they are good as new.

[Carmen_and_Company]

I'm still purchasing as I only buy when items go on sale for the lowest price of the season. We also are school supply snobs and like specific pencils, pens, notebooks, and etc. In addition, we buy items only made in America or from recycled or alternative materials only. I usually finish a week before school begins.

8/15/10 update:

Done as of now and nothing we wanted over the past 6 weeks (Sunday after July 4th is when school supply sales begin) of sales was ever out of stock. I've shopped the sales for school supplies since my eldest was kindergarten age. I refuse to pay retail. I also stock my sister's classroom every year as her birthday present. My savings for this fall is 72% of retail by only shopping advertised sales at Target, Walmart, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, Dick Blick's and Discount Office Items. We're stocked for the year!

Off the top of my head & a glance through a few old ads:
Ball bearing metal compass with safety point $1.00
Oxford 90lb weight index cards .51 cents each--these are thicker than all others on the market
Oxford 90 lb weight 5x8 index cards $ 1.29 each--thicker than other brands on the market
Dixon pencils .88 for 24 count box
Walgreen's 10-count pencils $.09 per box
Staple's 10-count pencils .01 cents per pack
plastic folders .25 cents each
wood ruler .01 cents each
flex ruler .01 cents each
reinforced loose leaf paper $1.99 each per 100
regular loose-leaf paper .20 cents per pack
paper folders .01 cent each
Prang 24 count crayons .89 cents each
Prang paint $1.00 each (for sister's class)
prang markers $1.87 each
Post-It notes .50 each
Scotch tape .67 each
Elmer's jumbo glue sticks .47 cents each (for sister's class)
paperclips .19 per box
3-hole punch for a binder 1.00
mechanical pencils .49 per 5
copy paper 1.00 per pack 500 sheets
Liquid Paper correction fluid .19 cent each
Bic pens, 10 count free
Uniball pens .67 each
highlighters .19 per pack of 5
Frixion erasable ink pens .99 per 2 pack
Mead Five-Star 100 page notebooks .50 each
Staples spiral notebooks .01 cents each
Roaring Spring notebooks $1.00 each
composition notebooks .25 each
book covers .25 cents each

I still need to purchase Storm's art supplies, but do not receive that list until the first week of school. I'm buying extra papers the week before school so I have tons of Michael's coupons.

[Pippen]

I did most of our supply shopping a few weeks ago when they had a state tax free week. This last week I picked up whatever items at the 1-25 cent range I could for community collections.

The hardest thing to find was a locker mirror. They were sold out all over town and of course school's all about hair when you're a 12 yo girl. ;) I finally found one that I'd tucked into our science supply box last year and redid the magnet so it would stick.

Through the year Mead has made some heavy plastic two pocket folders. They're hard to find and more expensive but they really hold up well. For awhile they had bungee elastic, and more recently bright colors but I always look for them.