Homeschool Supply Haul – Back to School Supply Shopping

There’s a little nip in the wind and there are a single tree here and there who’s leaves have started to change colours. That means summer is winding down and that in a few weeks Stéphane will head back to work and we will return to our “school year” routine. And while we will miss having dad home everyday, I’m certainly starting to crave the return to routine. It’s “back-to-school” time here and we are gearing up for a busy fall.

I love back-to-school time because I love back-to-school shopping. I’m a bit of a stationary junkie, and I look forward to all the sales. The pens, the notebooks, the colouring pencils…I love it all. And so do our kids.

I took Alexie for a little shopping trip and we picked up a few things to help fill our shelves for the upcoming months. Here are a few tips for back to school/homeschool supply shopping.

Take advantage of the Sales

Back to school sales are the BEST sales for supplies all year. From pencils and paper to shoes and backpacks. So now is the time to pick up some great things that you will need throughout the year. If you’re stocking up, stock up on the basics or things you will need.

But if you want to avoid the crowds either shop early or late. We went early about 3 weeks before school. Or you can wait until school in your area starts. By the end of the first week of school, the sales are still on but everyone else has finished shopping.

Do An Inventory

Before you go shopping, check what you already have. We had some watercolour paints, construction paper and a few other things. By checking and seeing what I had, I didn’t over buy. I was able to stay in budget and focus on what we needed. It also meant that I had a few extra bucks to splurge on a nicer notebook or new pens.

Get the Kids Involved

I took Alexie shopping with me. She loved picking out her different supplies. Letting them pick out a special note book for journaling or a new pack of markers makes it more exciting for them. If they are excited about the coloured pens or pink note books, they are more likely to be excited to use them.

Hopefully you have as much fun supply shopping as we did. Do you have any tips for Back-to-School shopping? Share them in the comments. We can use all the help we can get!