Looking for ways to save money and resources when your children start back to school? Here are some ways to reuse and repurpose school supplies:
Now that the start of school is right around the corner, it’s the time of year where schools post their lists for required school supplies in local stores. (At least this happens in my community!)
There are a lot of specific supplies to buy depending on your child’s class and teacher. And while you may need to buy a particular folder or type of colored pencil, sometimes there’s a little bit of freedom in your shopping choices.
You might even be able to reuse or repurpose some of the supplies you bought last year or the year before.
Before you shell out your cash to fulfill every single item on your school supply list, here are some things you may be able to reuse:
- Rulers
;
- Pencils, pens and colored pencils
- Scissors
- Zippered pencil cases
- Binders and folders;
- Extra notebook paper;
- Calculators
- Backpacks
- Lunchboxes.
Not public schooling?
If you’re a homeschooler like me, you may breathe a sigh of relief when you see the school supply lists and know that you don’t have to purchase such specific items. Most likely you could still use some supplies, though.
For me, reusing school supplies is easy in homeschooling. It’s not a big deal if we reuse our crayons or pencils. There’s absolutely no peer pressure to have all new things.
Unlike public schools, curriculum is the most common expense when it comes to heading back to school. I love to find used curriculum – it’s much easier on my family’s finances, and I like knowing that I’m reusing books.
I’ve been given used workbooks for free – but since they’ve cost me absolutely nothing, I pull out any unused pages for my children.
In my community I’ve found most of my used curriculum through homeschooling co-op sales, but I’ve also found some great resources through my library’s annual book sale.
Storage options
Since I have a lot of school supplies and art supplies that need storing, I’m continually tweaking my storage and organization options. I use a lot of baskets.
This year I’ve come up with my favorite (for now) way to organize magic markers: I store them in repurposed cans. (Of course, I’ve removed the labels and washed them.) I’ve found the cans can hold a lot of markers, and it’s super easy for my kids to see the colors they’re looking for.
What school supplies do you reuse and repurpose?
Disclosure: Purchasing items through links in this post will result in a commission for Accidentally Green. Thank you!
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