Lisa @ School Family writes:
Many schools help out somewhat by participating in organized kit programs (like those from SchoolKidz and EPI), and some teachers use the one-stop shopping list services provided by companies like Office Depot. Makes life so much easier for parents!
If your school or teacher isn’t participating in anything like this, here’s a case where procrastination can actually pay off. If you can wait just a week after school starts to do your big school supplies run, you can save yourself both money and pain: money because stores break out the discount racks after the kids go back to school, and pain because there’s nothing quite like the frustration of buying the wrong thing after waiting in long lines. By waiting that one week, you and your kids can get a better feel for what’s really wanted and needed this particular school year. Another good idea I heard from a friend with younger kids (who are readers)... they turn the list into a scavenger hunt around their house. Why buy new supplies if you already have some at home? The kids have fun with it, then they buy the stuff they didn't have around the house or left over from last year.
