5 Ways to Reduce the Cost of School Supplies

It starts earlier every summer…school supplies hit the shelves and teachers start buying them in hopes to save themselves some stress and money. Don’t want to spend your whole summer thinking about school and shopping for supplies? We’ve compiled some ideas to help!

Use Your Teacher Discount

Many retailers offer discounts to teachers as long as you show your educator ID. Michaels offers 15% off for teachers who have a free rewards account. Barnes & Noble and Half Price Books offer discounts on books while Microsoft offers discounts on new tech a teacher might need for working from home (just admit it, we all know you work from home). There are tons of discounts out there for teachers that are just a Google away. 

Let Parents Help

ClassTag Goods allows you to create a wish list of the supplies your classroom needs and share it with your parents and community. The best part is how easy it is to create this list! You can simply browse through the Goods store and add items to your wish list as you find them. You can also set a dollar amount that parents can donate, allowing you to purchase the items you choose from the Goods store. 

Buy in Bulk

Many of us have a membership to a wholesale store like Sam’s Club or Costco, and both of these places save some cash when purchasing school supplies. Buying supplies in bulk helps you in two ways. It saves you money now, as the items are cheaper than buying in smaller quantities and it also prevents you from having to buy more later when the price of the item is higher due to the back-to-school sales being over. You don’t have to have a club membership to access bulk deals, though. You can find supplies in bulk at online retailers as well. 

Pro Tip: Don’t need all those supplies? Invite some coworkers on your shopping trip and split the cost and the supplies!

Check Sale Ads and Coupon Apps

Another great way to save money on supplies is to shop the sales. There are a couple of ways to go about this. The first is by checking the sale ads each week. Most retailers have their ads easily viewable on their website and apps so a quick tour of stores on your phone will help you locate the best deals. Another way to snag some cheap supplies is to clip coupons from deals apps on your phone. These coupons may not seem like much on their own, but use them enough and they add up.

Pro Tip: Rebate apps like Fetch are a great way to earn rewards for the supplies you buy along with the rest of your everyday purchases.

Take Advantage of Tax-Free Holidays

Many states offer tax-free holidays or weekends where merchandise can be purchased without paying sales or local tax. Some of them have a cap on the amount of individual items, such as Texas who only includes items under $100 each. This holiday can apply to many things, such as school supplies, clothes, shoes, and more. The trick is to know when the tax-free holiday is for your state as well as what is and is not included. 

There’s no time like the present to get started, and ClassTag is here to help you get that wish list made!