Back to school sales are a great time to get homeschool supplies for the entire year! Here are secret school supplies sale tips to save the most money on your homeschool shopping list or school at home supply list!
HOMESCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL SALES: HOW TO STOCK UP ON HOMESCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR ALL YEAR
As homeschoolers, we often forget that back to school sales are also for us! (Yes, we get to have a back to school for homeschool, too!)
This list works for all parents looking for back to school sales supplies, not just for homeschool supplies! It’s a back to school but stay at home shopping list, too!
And, seasonal school sales are a great opportunity to stock up for an entire year.
(Did you ever consider that?)
And, if you’re new to home school and asking, “What do you buy for homeschooling?” or “Where to buy homeschool supplies?” this is your time, too!
Our back to school tips are great whether you’re shopping for homeschool kindergarten supplies, homeschool back to school supplies for high school, homeschool room / homeschool accessories, or even shopping a dorm room essentials list for your new homeschool grad going off to college!
Let’s first cover standard school supplies you ma use regularly in homeschool.
What school supplies do you need for homeschooling?
School supplies for homeschooling are the similar to traditional school supplies.
Essential homeschool supplies can include:
- Backpack
- Notebook paper
- Folders
- Pens
- Pencils (you should really look into Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils!)
- Erasers
- Crayons
- Markers
- Glue
- Tape
- Paint/paint brushes
- Art paper / construction paper
- Scissors
- Lunch box (if they have classes outside the home)
Don’t forget to look at your lessons, plans, or homeschool curriculum to see if there’s anything special for your homeschool shopping list.
Where can I buy homeschool supplies?
In some areas, there are homeschool supply stores or homeschool buyers co-ops. However, it’s not necessary to go to a specialized store for homeschooling supplies. You can often find what you need online (like Amazon school supplies) or during school sales at regular stores.
Here’s what you need to know first when shopping for the best things to have for homeschool or school supplies at home:
There are two different sessions for back-to-school sales that especially benefit homeschoolers and parents looking to stock up for school at home:
- During the back to school sales, and
- AFTER the back to school sales when they clearance the school supplies (generally in late August/early September)
So, be strategic about your homeschool back to school shopping!
As homeschoolers, we often have the flexibility to wait on getting some (or all) of our school supplies—especially things like paper, cheap binders for school, folders, glue, etc. If you can wait, you may get amazing deals. (I’m talking things for pennies on the dollar sometimes!)
Homeschool Back To School Shopping Tip:
Keep a running homeschool wish list throughout the year so that you have it when back-to-school sales begin!
What Do You Buy for Homeschooling?
Ultimate Back-To-School Shopping List For Homeschool
If you can wait on basic items and are willing to take the “picked over” stuff (like the popular colors or themes being gone already), then you can sometimes save up to 75% OFF (and more!) on basic school supplies like:
- Lined notebook paper
- Composition notebooks / spiral notebooks
- School Binders
- Folders
- Cheap Glue sticks
- Glue (remember to stock up because helloooo! SLIME PROJECTS)
- Tape
- Pencils
- Pens
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Stickers
- & MORE!
This will really help you with an affordable homeschool supplies list for the entire year!
LEARN HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST LAPTOP VS COMPUTER FOR HOMESCHOOL
Do NOT wait for the AFTER clearance part of the back to school sales to buy:
- Backpacks / book bags
- Lunch boxes
- Computers
- World globe and maps
- Dry erase board and markers
These school supplies rarely get moved over to the clearance aisle.
Even though backpacks and lunch boxes may get clearanced, there is rarely a good selection of them left during the clearance period.
If you need a backpack, buy those during the regular back to school sales time.
DISCLOSURE: Affiliate links are used on this site and may be used in this post.
Also, journals, day planners, photo day planners, and decorating markers for journals RARELY go on clearance, so pick them up if you see them on sale during the school sale.
They do go on sale during back to school, but you might not want to wait for clearance sales for them.
(Plus, the popular journals and day planners go pretty fast when they’re on sale.)
ALSO CHECK OUT FOR BACK TO SCHOOL:
Best Sellers in Arts, Crafts & Sewing
When Do Back to School Sales Start?
Back to school sales dates vary, but the best sales can start even a couple of months before traditional schools start back (which can be any time between July-September).
So, you’ll start to see some school sales pop up in early June and going forward. Keep your eye out!
TIP: Search back to school sales near me or back to school sales this week to make sure you see local businesses having sales, too (even sales online)! You don’t have to just shop sales at Walmart or Kohls or Target other big box stores because there are plenty of other stores with sales going on during this time!
►Bigger ticket item sales, like computers, start very early.
(They want to be sure to get to the college students who need them!)
So, if you’re in the market for laptops or desktop computers, keep your eye out starting in the summer (or even at the end of the previous year, around graduation time)!
SCHOOL SALES ARE A GREAT TIME TO SHOP FOR YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL CONE ITEMS. LEARN ABOUT MAKING ONE HERE:
Make a Back to School Cone (German Schultute)
(It makes a really fun back to school first day of homeschool! We’ve been doing this as a homeschool back to school tradition for a few year now and my daughter always looks forward to it!)
Can homeschool moms get teacher discounts?
Another way that you can get even more savings during this time is to take advantage of teacher discounts and freebies.
In many cases, homeschool parents can also get the additional teacher discounts offered at some of the stores, so don’t be afraid to ask!
You may need a homeschool “teacher” ID to show at checkout.
If you don’t have one, you can print your own for free from the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
Back to Homeschool School Supply List & Homeschooling Equipment
OK.
The biggest thing to do when shopping sales to stock up for all year long is to readjust your mindset.
There things to buy ASAP during the school sales and then there are some items for stockpiling during homeschool sales at specific times (like clearance aisles after the regular sales end!).
To get the biggest bang for your buck and stock up for all year, you have to consider all seasons and not just the current season (especially if you’re shopping for clothing).
So, be sure to think ahead and not just for the current moment!
Before we get to the list, let’s cover this common question:
Are homeschool supplies tax deductible?
The short answer to can homeschool supplies tax deductible is no. There are only a few states in the U.S. that allow for tax-deductible homeschool. So, while you will want to check with the accountant or tax professional for your state, in general homeschool supplies are not tax deductible.
Just like you can’t deduct school supplies for public K-12 school, the answer to Can you write off homeschool supplies? is no, probably not.
However, there are some stipends (like in Canada) for homeschooling, so check your local laws.
OK!
On to the back to school supplies for home!
Back to School Shopping for Homeschool
A School Supply List for Homeschool / School At Home: Tips and Hacks
Back to School Sales Electronics
Back to school sales and holiday sales are the two biggest times of the year for electronics.
So, now’s the time to get that laptop you’ve been eyeing or that tablet that will help with school on the go, because you’ll likely find good back to school sales on laptops and electronics during this time.
(Or, you’ll have to wait until Black Friday Sales / Cyber Monday Sales for the next big discounts.)
However, be sure to shop around and compare prices and not just buy the first sale you see!
Click here to compare current sales on laptops.
Back to school is also a good time to get tablets that you can use for school!
Back to School Sales Backpacks
Even if you don’t need a “school” backpack (because you homeschool), you may still want to take advantage of the awesome backpack sales that occur during this time.
My daughter uses her “school” backpack for weekly library trips, sleepovers, and travel.
So, look for a multi-purpose backpack that you can use for hiking, park days, and other things.
CHECK CURRENT SALE PRICES ON BEST BACKPACKS
Backpack shopping tips:
- If you’re transporting a laptop, be sure that you get a backpack big enough to fit the laptop and that it also has a padded compartment to protect the computer.
- We like the multi-compartment backpacks that can double as a book bag and can also separate clothes and other items during travel.
- Don’t buy a backpack just because it’s cheap. You are trying to get a bag to benefit you all year, so you are looking for a quality backpack at a discounted price (and not just the cheapest backpacks you can find).
Back To School Sales On Clothes
Sales for back to school clothes and back to school sales for shoes are a great time to stock up on clothes and shoes for your kids because, whew, do they grow out of clothing fast!
To make clothing sales work for you all year long, buy the current size that your child needs, and then, also buy one to two sizes up.
Also keep your eye out for those BOGO—or buy one, get one—sales, where you can make your dollar stretch even more!
Back to School Sales Supplies
My recommendations for school supplies are:
Tape, tape, and more tape.
Glue sticks, more glue sticks, even more glue sticks.
(Seriously? WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT TAPE AND GLUE????)
But really, the school supplies area is ALWAYS where we wait until after the regular school sales are finished and they have clearanced the items.
Back to School Supplies for Homeschool Tips:
- Buy basic supplies (paper, pencils, glue sticks, folder, etc) AFTER the regular sale when they are on clearance.
- Only buy supplies you will use. If you find a great clearance deal on gluesticks, but your family never, ever uses glue sticks then it doesn’t make sense to buy them.
- If you can, buy some extras during the clearance sales. Teachers/classrooms, shelters, and nursing homes are always looking for donation like these!
- Walmart back to school is really great about clearancing school supplies, as well as Meijer (if you have one of those near you).
- Target school supplies being clearanced is a hit or miss for us and often depends on the store/location.
Be sure to stock up on basic supplies during the clearance period (not the regular school sale period).
And, I’m not talking about two glue sticks. I’m talking like 10+ glue sticks!
Or, 10 packs of lined paper. (We found them for .50 each last year clearanced!)
Think about the things that you currently use and buy extras.
(We have a little plastic bin that we put all the extra glue sticks, tape, etc. and we store them inside cabinet.)
You will always find paper, folders, and binders on the after back to school sales clearance, even if you have to check a few stores.
Use this time to stock up on the things on your back to school stay at home shopping list or your back to school home office, too!
Things you generally don’t find during the after sales clearance:
- Markers
- Craft paper
- Planners
- More expensive pens
- Staplers
The stores just put them back to regular price in their office supplies area instead of putting them on clearance.
REVIEW: Tips for Using Back to School Sales To Stock Up For The Entire Year
- Wait until AFTER the back to school sale during the clearance sale time to buy glue sticks, tape, line paper, notebooks, folders, and binders. Stores will want to get rid of the over-supply and you’ll be able to stock up.
- You’ll always need more glue sticks and tape than you think. Buy more than you think you’ll need! (TRUST ME ON THIS if you’re new to homeschooling.)
- Buy electronics, laptops, and computers when you see them during the regular back to school sales. They won’t be clearanced cheaper.
- Don’t just stick to the school sale aisles! I found those journal stickers in the regular clearance aisle (along with a ton of other school stuff that wasn’t selling because it was hidden in the regular clearance aisle!).
- Buy a size (or even two!) up on clothing if you find a great deal during sales! It’s one of the best ways to make back to school sales finds last all year!
- Grab those back to school calendars and journals when you see them on sale during the regular school sales. You rarely see them on clearance, but you might see the accessories (like the planning stickers).
- Search out the BOGO sales (by one, get one 50% off). If it’s something that you can use, take advantage of it and stock up for the entire year!
- Don’t forget Amazon homeschool supplies sales. You can often find somme great deals online!
What tips do you have for making back to school sales work for you all year long?
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