Although at the end of the school year you might be thinking more about getting rid of stuff rather than how to buy new classroom supplies, it’s actually one of the best times to stock up on what you need.
Here are the best ways to make sure you get exactly what you need while staying within your budget.
Shop off-season
Every other teacher in the country will be shopping for supplies sometime in August. Although there are bulk deals to be found at that time, it’s much better to take advantage of the off-season sales retailers are offering right now. They want to clear their shelves for August, so you might as well fill yours. Check out Classroom Direct’s DEALS page for great deals all year long.
Buy in bulk
If you know a few teachers who all have the same needs and tastes in supplies, why not pool your purchasing power and take advantage of bulk pricing? This might not work for highly specialized items, but everyone needs things like printer paper and art paper rolls for bulletin boards. Classroom packs are also a great solution when you need to replenish a large amount of frequently used supplies.
Organize a swap meet
Perhaps some teachers are retiring or moving to another school. In both cases, they don’t want to take most of their stuff with them. Organize a supply swap meet toward the end of school to coincide with everyone cleaning out their classrooms. The teachers that are leaving would love to know their supplies are still going to be used and the teachers that are staying can save a bunch of money.
Locker clean out
Toward the end of school, your campus might have an organized time for all the students to clean out their lockers. At this time, go around with a box or a cart. If a student has a half-used package of paper or pencils, ask them if they’d like to donate them to the next year’s class. Finally, use storage bins and boxes to organize the items you accumulate during the swap and locker clean out.
Buying now can help you save a lot of money compared to August.
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