Thoughts on School Supplies

Most every item you can buy has a season in which it is a little cheaper than at other times.  This is the time of the  year when school and office supplies go on sale.  Our daughter will be starting school in the fall for the first time, but this is by no means my first year to buy school supplies.  Think beyond the “school”.  Here are some other ideas for using the school supplies:

• By all means, still give treats out for Halloween if you celebrate, but why not offer some school supplies as well?  The last few years we’ve had a bowl of candy and another containing items like pencils, erasers, crayons, markers, notepads, etc.  Because it is something different, and because we still offer plenty of candy, the kids seem to get a kick out of it.
• Collect crayons, markers, and colored pencils to package with coloring books for a quick gift. 
• Save them for stocking stuffers or to donate to gift centers around the holidays.
• Donate them to your church, synagogue, or community center for arts and crafts.  Last year we donated glue that we had bought for a penny a piece at an office supply store to our church.  Domestic violence and homeless shelters may also accept school supplies. 
• Ask a teacher you know if he or she would like them for the classroom.  Many teachers buy school supplies for their classrooms out of their own pockets.  They could use these for kids who do not have supplies, for prizes or incentives, or for their own projects. 
• Contact your local representative or city councilperson to see if there are any school supply drives that are coming up.  Last year, Amy Broyles organized one for our city.
• Save them for when you are traveling.  It breaks up the monotony of the trip when kids have something new to play with and occupy their time.  I pick up cheap coloring books or print coloring pages off of the internet to give to our daughter with a new box of crayons. 
• Send a college student a care package.  My aunt sent me a care package a few times when I was away in college, and I still remember how exciting it was to open the box.  Fill the box with school supplies, homemade goodies, and toiletries.  If you are a couponer like me,  you know that you will probably only pay out of pocket for the shipping and maybe another dollar or two for the supplies.
• Save the school supplies for when your children do go to school or begin homeschooling.  Because I have saved supplies for some time now, we will not have to buy anything except for a cute backpack this year.  
• If your area has a disaster, consider donating the supplies to the Red Cross for distribution.  During the Katrina aftermath, our city housed many evacuees.  I remember that they were asking for supplies such as these to give to the children. 

I hope this gives you some ideas for how to use the school supplies that you get for cheap or free this year.  Happy Shopping!