Ready, Set, Save! The Ultimate Budget-Friendly Back to School Guide Kids Activities Blog

Back to school is almost here and it’s time to get school supplies. But school supplies add up! So, we have put together a great list of budget-friendly school supplies you can get for your kids for the school year. Whether they’re in preschool, elementary school, middle school, or high school, we have got you covered!

Back To School Supplies

If you’re like me, you don’t like rushing around last minute for school supplies. You’d think they’d be the same every year, but each year it is something new. And sometimes I feel like the lists get longer.

But, I understand these supplies are needed to ensure our children get a good education. So, I’m thankful for all the teachers. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like trying to save money while getting back to school supplies!

When this is written, everything was $5.00 or less. Prices do change so we apologize if any of the prices fluctuate.

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Related Link: We have some great back to school strategies to help you save money.

1. Basic #2 Pencils

Back To School Supplies- yellow #2 pencils-Kids Activities Blog — Get your pencils!

Nothing is better than basic number two pencils. And a lot of times they’re required for the end of the year tests. You can get a 30 pack for less than $5.

2. Pencil Sharpeners

Back To School Supplies- blue, green, yellow, pink sharpeners-Kids Activities Blog — You’ll need these to sharpen your pencils.

You need to be able to sharpen those pencils. And now you can get a 4 pack of pencil sharpeners for less than $3.00.

3. Mechanical Pencils

Back To School Supplies- Rainbow colored mechanical pencils -Kids Activities Blog — Or get mechanical pencils and not worries about pencil sharpeners.

Not a fan of wooden pencils? I’m not either. I love mechanical pencils. And you can get a 24 pack for less than $5 in all colors! I like to steal the pink ad purple ones out of the pack. Don’t need a big pack? There is a 10 pack for less than $3.

4. Pens

Back To School Supplies- Red, blue, black pens in a box-Kids Activities Blog — Grab your red, blue, and black pens.

I know my kids always need pens each year. And usually they need multiple colors of pens: black, blue, and red.

There is a 60 pack of black, blue, and red pens for less than $7.
We also found a 10 pack of blue pens for less than a $1.
Check out this 12 pack of black pens for less than $3.00
Don’t worry, there is also a 10 pack of red pens for less than $3.00 as well.

5. Wite Out

Back To School Supplies- bottle of wite out-Kids Activities Blog — Fix your mistakes with wite out.

If you’re using pens, you’re gonna need wite out. I remember by teachers always being like, use wite out, we don’t want to see a ton of scribbles on your pages.

There is the quick dry correction fluid version of wite out.
Don’t want the liquid? There is a wite out correction tape that can correct about 39.3 feet of mistakes.

6. Highlighters

Back To School Supplies- yellow, pink, blue, green, orange highlighters-Kids Activities Blog — Highlight all the important things.

Highlight all the important notes with these different colors of highlighter. There is yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange. You can get all of the from less than $4. There is also a 4 pack of chunky highlighters for less than $3. Or a 3 pack of highlighters for less than $2.

7. Folders

Back To School Supplies- red, green, blue, yellow, purple, orange folders -Kids Activities Blog — You get 7 folders!

You can get a 7 pack of folders with pockets, labels, and they’re heavy duty for less than $5. Plus they are assorted colors. Perfect for the different class subjects. There are also pastel colors too.

8. Binder

Back To School Supplies- black 3 ring binder -Kids Activities Blog — Don’t forget about your binder.

Need a 1.5 inch binder? You can get on for less than $5. It is a 3 ring binder that can hold 350 pages. You can also get a 1 inch binder for less than $5 too.

9. Tab Dividers

Back To School Supplies- purple gray blue yellow tabs -Kids Activities Blog — Keep your binder organized with these tabs.

So, these big tab dividers are perfect for binders. And they’re write and erase. You can use them, write notes, and other things.

10. College Ruled Spiral Notebook

Back To School Supplies- Blue college ruled notebook -Kids Activities Blog — Grab your notebooks!

Grab your notebooks! These are great for notes and these pages apparently fights ink bleeds. Which is useful, because not all pens are friendly on paper.

11. Composition Notebook

Back To School Supplies- black and white composite notebook-Kids Activities Blog — Don’t forget your composite notebook for science class.

Composition notebooks are also a must. I love these because they always have helpful notes on the covers. These have 100 pages each and is wide ruled. You can get them for less than $2.

12. Sticky Notes

Back To School Supplies- post it sticky notes orange and yellow -Kids Activities Blog — Use these to remind yourself of important things.

Sticky notes are also useful for school. You can get a 3 pack of Post It notes for less than $2. Don’t lose your place in books and leave yourself reminders in your locker.

13. Kids Scissors

Back To School Supplies- green kids scissors in red packaging -Kids Activities Blog — Everyone needs scissors.

Scissors are a must especially in elementary school, but they can be useful in other grades too.

We have found 5 inch pointed tip scissors that fit right or left hands for less than $2.
There is also rounded scissors for kids too for less than $5.
There is also blunt safety scissors for toddlers as well for less than $5.

14. Dry Erase Markers

Back To School Supplies- green, blue, red, and black expo markers-Kids Activities Blog — Teachers will appreciate these.

Many teachers ask for dry erase markers. You can get a pack of mixed color dry erased markers for less than $5. Don’t forget about the dry erase eraser for less than $4!

15. Permanent Markers

Back To School Supplies- thin black sharpies in a package -Kids Activities Blog — Older kids may need these.

Permanent markers are not on everyone’s list. I know some of my older kids needed them and you can get a 2 count for less than $2.

16. 10 Piece Math Set

Back To School Supplies- math supplies measuring triangles compass rulers -Kids Activities Blog — These are great for math.

If you need supplies for your math class you can get this 10 piece set for less than $5. It comes with a compass, ruler, triangle squares, alphabet stencil, and other measuring tools.

17. Glue

Back To School Supplies- clear glue elmers -Kids Activities Blog — Each year, Glue is also a must.

Glue is another must have for school. You can get liquid glue for less than $4 and 3 giant glue sticks for less than $3.

18. Backpacks

Back To School Supplies- turquoise backpack -Kids Activities Blog — Thank goodness Backpacks don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Backpacks can cost an arm and leg. But we went through and found backpacks for under $20.

19. Lunchbox For Kids

Back To School Supplies- black, blue, gray, red, orange, blue, black lunch box -Kids Activities Blog — Neither do lunch boxes.

We have also found a bunch of great lunch boxes for less than $10 as well!

20. Lunch Containers For Kids

Back To School Supplies- green bento with spoon and fork -Kids Activities Blog — Don’t forget about the lunch box accessories.

Don’t forget about the lunch box accessories! We got you! We found a bunch of budget-friendly containers for less than $15.

MORE BACK TO SCHOOL FUN FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG

Also, check preschooler activities and kids activities if you looking for more things to do with your kids.

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Make your own magnetic locker clips for school!
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Make your own backpack tag that is just too cute!
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Check out our list of walmart must have’s for school!