Here's the Deal: How to Save on School Supplies

Whether you’ve got little kids, big ones, or just a home office, it’s time to save on supplies.

By Janice Lieberman

From Reader's Digest

Images from this article

©2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

On schoolpack.com, parents can purchase individual items or prepackaged kits for all grades.

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©2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

On schoolpack.com, parents can purchase individual items or prepackaged kits for all grades.

• Shop where teachers shop
  Teachers rave about educationalwarehouse.com for its learning tools and games—everything from puzzles and puppets to software and stickers. Classroomdirect.com has great prices on over 10,000 products and a clearance corner offering even deeper discounts.
  


• Pick your lunch box
  The second-most-difficult back-to-school decision, right after what to wear on the first day, is what kind of lunch box to buy. Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana? Ariel or Elmo? Your kids can browse at their (and your) leisure at platesplus4kids.com and lunchboxes.com.
  


• Trade in sports gear 
  My garage is a tangle of bikes and balls, cleats and clubs, so I was excited to find playitagainsports.com, a company that resells quality, name-brand sporting equipment. You'll have to visit one of its 320 stores, located in 46 states and the District of Columbia. If you want to trade in your gear for cash or store credit, a sales associate will consider its condition, brand, and the store's current inventory. Even if you have no trade-ins, you'll save 50 percent buying used instead of new.

• feedthepig.org Calculate the savings if your kids (and you) stopped buying lunch out every day and brown-bagged it.
  


• goodshop.com Support your favorite charity or school by shopping at more than 1,000 participating retailers. Up to 30 percent of every purchase is donated. And you'll find hundreds of deals and coupons.
  


• taxadmin.org Click on 2009 State Sales Tax Holidays to see if your state has scheduled a tax-free shopping day. Check what's included before heading to the store.

Next: How to Buy the Most Efficient Printer

• • Ways to Save
• Back to School

• School Supplies Printable Checklist
• Before you hit the stores with your kids, print out this handy checklist of essentials every student needs.
• 
• Back-to-School Safety Tips
• You can help protect your children from the most frequent kinds of school-related injuries by following these practical, proven tips.
• 
• 8 Delicious Lunchbox Recipes
• Fill your child's lunchbox with these nutritious and delicious lunch ideas. Your kids will look forward to their daily trip to the cafeteria!
•