Money Saving Tips Part Two!

In my first post in this series (check it out here if you missed it) I shared a few of my favorite ways to
save money.  In this post I wanted to share a few more!

1)  Making TeachersPayTeachers work for you!  I know that many of you who follow this blog are shoppers on TpT and have found many fantastic products from all of the wonderful teacher-authors on there.  But did you know that you get credits if you go back and leave feedback?  Anytime you leave feedback on a paid product you get a credit per dollar. On their site, TpT states "We will round up for you, too! If you provide fair feedback on a $4.75 item, you will earn 5 credits. Every 100 Credits is worth $5 that you can apply towards future TpT purchases, but there is no need to wait until you have 100 to redeem them. 50 credits is worth $2.50, for example.".  Then once you go to buy something else...you can apply the credits to get money off :)  Just like my favorite thing - coupons.  

2) Speaking of coupons...Use them, as often as possible!  I am not an extreme couponer by any means, but I love to use them!  There are so many great sites out there to find coupons such as retailmenot or coupons.com but did you know that many stores offer coupons right on their site?  For example, if you got to target.com and scroll to the bottom you will see right in the middle ways to save!

All of the coupons can be stacked in with store savings and their cartwheel app too!  

3)  Investing in quality instead of quantity.  While I love a good deal, I also have come to realize that a deal only serves me well if what I am getting is going to last me a while. Early one I would buy things that were on super low clearance prices and then realize why they were so low when the fell apart a few months later!  I learned that there were certain things (like totes, binders, etc.) that I spent a little more upfront then I would save money down the road because I wouldn't have to buy it twice.  For that reasons I started buying boxes like this instead of milk crates.  They last longer, they come with lids and don't have holes that things will fall out of.  

File Storage Box

I use boxes like these to store extra copies of papers, hanging folders full of colored copy paper, hanging folders of task cards, etc.  Best of all, they are stackable!  

Follow me for more tips soon! :)

Time To Get Organized, Part Three!

I have found that a key to organization is planning ahead.  Easier said, than done, I know but if you have a goal in mind you can save time, energy and money!  Starting in early to mid-July the office supply stores starting running major sales.  These sales range from supplies for a penny, a quarter, a dollar, buy 2 get one free and mail-in rebates that make items free! 





7/27-8/2/14

For example, in previewing next week's ad at Office Max/Depot (they merged!), I see that next week they will have 2 pocket folders on sale for a penny, 8 packs of pencils for a penny and 12-inch rulers for a penny! Further scrolling inside shows buy two get one free on packs of sharpies and dry erase markers.  Over the last two weeks they have also had index cards for $0.10/100, little pencil sharpeners for a penny, 25 packs of the pencil eraser caps for a penny. 



My boxes thus far

So, the question becomes how do you take advantage of these sales without buying unnecessary supplies because you get caught up in the savings?  I start by making a list before the sales season starts of what I need.  This usually consists of rulers, colored pencils, folders, index cards, glue sticks, more protractors, pencils and erasers, sticky notes, dry erase markers, pens, etc.  This year that list was a little longer because I am making group supply boxes for projects.  (see my post here).   Once I have my list made I start scanning the ads weekly (the previews for the next week are usually available on Friday of the previous week) to see what is coming up. 


Then I go in to "extreme couponer" mode as my husband calls it!  I plan out my route, my day and will sometimes take someone with me (like my husband) so they buy some too!  Since many of the stores have limits per purchase/person you may need to plan on going to multiple stores or on multiple days to get enough (if you want, for example, a classroom set of rulers).  I'm lucky in that I have two Office Maxes and one Office Depot in a two mile radius of each other.  (Or maybe that's not quite so lucky...)  I've also been known to hit Staples but since there isn't one close, it takes more planning.

 

Other things to keep in mind, if you sign up for a store reward card, some of the stores will allow you double the limit.  It's not advertised, but if you ask most give it!  Additionally, the major office supply stores have "Teacher Appreciation Days" in August.  During this time, you can get a canvas bag with samples, a 20-25% off your entire purchase coupon book and usually a coupon book to use over the next month as well! 

 

Searching online Office Max/Depot has their days scheduled for different states at different times.  If you click here you can put in your zip code and find the dates for your area!  I have searched and searched online, but unfortunately cannot find the dates for Staples.  You may need to ask in your local store.

 

If you are able to invest the time and energy, you can save a great deal of money on the supplies you

need!  In the picture below is the result of one stop.  I got enough erasers for the year, glue bottles and pencil sharpeners for all my boxes for $4.50.  I saved $12.00 on supplies that I needed.  Next week I'll be hitting the stores for the rulers, folders and pencils for pennies for sure!

One stop - cost me $4.50

Time To Get Organized, Part Two!

One of the many challenges of teaching is organization of not only myself, but also my classroom and my students.  I cannot tell you how often I have planned to do an activity and found that I was missing some basic essential such as glue sticks (because they dried out), scissors (because for some reason they just "grow legs" and walk away), color pencils, crayons, etc. 

Once I do have everything I need, I find myself in one of two situations for distribution of those supplies.  Situation one:  I spend way too much time walk from group to group handing out, counting out the required number of each item.  Situation two:  I have students come up to get them and then have this free-for-all grabbing.  Both situations waste a great deal of time and the second one leaves me with a mess.   The clean-up, on the flip side, is just as much of a nightmare, especially if a project is long and students work right up to the bell to finish.  This leads to students that are scrambling to clean-up, supplies left on desks, or having fallen on the floor, etc.


Really Useful Box 4.0 Liter

  So, what then, is the solution?  Well, the solution I am going to implement this fall involves boxes with lids, a checklist and student roles!  I found boxes at Office Max that are big enough to hold everything that I need (including rulers!) with lids.   While they come in multiple sizes, I found this size best able to fit my needs.  I will initially stock the boxes with whatever I feel a group needs and then change the supplies out (ahead of time!) if an activity requires something more specialized.  I can label the boxes with group numbers and best of all - the are stackable!  Easy and neat storage!


Once I found my box, I needed to address the question of accountability.  I created a "Resource Box Checklist" that I will include in each box.  One person in the group will be responsible for checking off at the end of the hour that all of the supplies are accounted for at the end of the hour.  If something is running low, then they can let me know so that I can restock it. 

While I won't know until fall whether this will "fix" all of the issues that I am finding, I know that it is the first proactive step in addressing them!  You can download the resource box checklist here in editable PowerPoint format!