School Supply question

[dez1978]

If the supplies are in good condition we will reuse them--binders, scissors, rulers, 3/4 blank notebooks, glue bottles over half full, supply box, pencils, erasers that have not been split in two with a pencil (why do they do that?!?)

My oldest seems to always bring home 5 brown markers, three green and a red--never the full 12 count rainbow he started the year with, so markers are always picked up at the start of the year.

We're also meanies who make the kids use the same backpack and lunchbox as long as there are no rips/tears/weird smells.

We do reuse backpacks. We got Pottery Barn ones and they were pricey but last 3-4 years. The lunchboxes last too, but we usually replace before the backpacks bc they will leave them somewhere with stuff in them and they get disgusting. We got my youngest one of those zipit pencil boxes last year and it's still in great shape. So if he's ok with it, he can reuse it.

DD's school never sent home any "required" supply lists. Sometimes a teacher would request a binder or folder. Binders we often re-used maybe with a fresh pack of 3-hole paper. We have plenty of pencils around and made sure she always had a few in her bag or a pencil box. Other stuff like glue, markers, colored pencils, etc. we just had around home for when it was needed for homework. High school did require a specific calculator, but shared a link where it was on sale and also mentioned an older model would be acceptable.

You got lucky. My 3rd grader has a list that includes a blue pocket folder with prongs and an yellow pocket folder with holes. Oddly specific things, that don't seem to hard to find, but I made the mistake of waiting till a couple weeks before school when my oldes was in 3rd and couldn't find the specific folders anywhere... There are about 20 things on each of their lists. Nothing extravagant, just what I'd think of as normal stuff. Pretty much the same as when I was in school 30 years ago. With the exception of headphones/ear buds. Didn't need those lol

Things like pencil boxes, if they are still in good shape I will ask if they mind reusing them. We do always get new crayons bc they get broken.

When did trapper keepers get to be $30? Holy cow. That is on my 6th graders list. He needed one in 4th grade too, and went thru 2 of them in a year.

 

[RangerPooh]

I have four kids and back to school supplies can really add up!!!! I purchase almost everything again each school year, however there are a few things that are reused:

-Chair seat pockets (when they were in elementary school)
-School boxes if in great condition
-Calculator
-Unused pencils/pens/highlighters...they're going in the pencil box or pouch anyway
-Unused folders/notebooks that were returned with only the child's name on it

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

When our kids were in school, we would buy some things new each year (glue/glue sticks, crayons, folders) and some would be reused if in good condition (scissors, ruler, protractor,etc). They usually needed a new backpack and lunchbox, so those would be purchased too; along with whatever specific things the teachers wanted the kids to have, or things they needed for the classroom.

Paper (in notebooks, looseleaf, composition books, graphing, notecards, post-its) and pencils/colored pencils/crayons/pens were always kept on hand; I'd pick them up when the stores had sales. I once hit a clearance section at Walmart that had lined and unlined note cards in 3 sizes for .09 each...I bought all 30 packs! We STILL have those notecards....17 years later!

This year, I cleaned out our filing cabinet where we kept all those supplies. I gave away 3 boxes of supplies to a family that needed some extra help filling backpacks this year. 90% of it was brand new; and then there was a big box of pencils and colored pencils that were either gently used or not used at all but the boxes broke, and a couple of older but very functional calculators. A bunch of craft supplies too, for her younger ones; things I had bought when DGS#2 came to visit last time, but we used just a little of, or didn't use at all.

Sometimes the teachers would 'assign' the kids to bring in supplies; one year, a teacher had the girls bring in tissues, and the boys bring in Clorox or Lysol wipes. Another teacher had a full shopping list on the board, and would cross things off as they were brought in. One teacher did 'prizes' if the kids brought in things...the prizes were things like '5 extra reading minutes' or 'skip one page of homework'; for the kids would couldn't really afford to help, she did the same prizes for 'helping put all the workbooks away' type work...if everything was brought in, she gave them an extra recess once a month for the year!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I would definitely just rubber-band some pencils and send them in!

Durables like scissors, rulers, and calculators were reused until a fancier one was needed as well.

Partially-used notebooks would have been "un-spiraled" at the end of last year and whatever paper was still clean put in the loose-leaf bin at home.

Backpacks and lunchbags were replaced as needed/wanted (outgrew the old characters, etc.)

Crayons were always new, because a new box is just so inspiring. (I can smell them now!) Same, usually, for colored pencils.

And folders were always new as well, as they never came home in great shape.

 

[Jmljasmine]

In past years I did mostly new but as money has gotten tighter, I'm reusing more and more.