Back-to-School Deals

As your children savor their last days of freedom from homework, pop quizzes, and heavy textbooks, it’s time for parents to gather those school supply lists and get shopping. Ponderosa, Junipero Serra, and Spruce Elementary Schools, in addition to some Middle Schools and High Schools, have made it easier by posting their lists online and saving us from late-night office supply store scrambling.

is the one big office supply store in South City and has great back to school deals running this Sunday through Aug. 20.

• One-inch Avery binders are $2.99 and eight-packs of binder dividers are $4.99. If half-inch binders are on your shopping list, you can get up to four Simply binders for just $0.25 each.
• Standard sized composition notebooks start at $4.99 for two Staples brand notebooks, or $2.99 for one. If the school is okay with mini composition notebooks (3.25” by 4.5”), these come in two-packs for just $0.25.
• The best deal on #2 pencils is a Dixon eight-pack, running you $1.00. There is also an easy rebate on 10-packs of Zebra mechanical pencils, making them free once you get your rebate (valid Aug. 14 – 17 only).
• 12-packs of either black, blue or red Staples brand pens are $1.99, or if you prefer BIC, take advantage of Staples' buy two, get one free deal on any of BIC's pens, pencils, highlighters or markers.
• Get a three-pack of yellow Pilot highlighters for $4.99 and get $4.99 back on your Staples Rewards account, a great program you should sign up if you haven’t already.
• Staples brand left-handed notebooks as well as Studio C by Carolina 1 subject notebooks are $2.00 this week.
• A variety of small Staples brand eight-digit display calculators are $5.00 this week.
• Glue sticks will run you $1.00 for four Staples brand sticks, or $2.00 for four Avery sticks.

 and  are convenient alternatives for buying school supplies if you don’t have time to run to an office supply store, but they will cost you a little more.

• OfficeMax brand one-inch binders are on sale for $4.49, but if you need to purchase dividers you’re out of luck.
• Composition notebooks will run you $2.32 each while single subject spiral notebooks are on sale for $2.06.
• Pencil options are limited. The best deal is a Ticonderoga 12-pack for $3.79, which is not a good deal at all.
• Most of the school supply lists call for black, blue and red pens. The least expensive way to get all three of these is to get a Papermate four pack, which includes 1 black, blue, red and purple pen for $3.59.
• You can get a five-pack of different colored BIC highlighters here for $3.59.
• Eight-digit display OfficeMax calculators are $5.29.
• Elmer’s glue sticks come in three-packs for $3.49.

 is another quick stop that has most of the items bound to appear on your child’s school supply list. These prices are valid through Sept. 17, but look out for new items going on sale this Sunday, Aug. 14, when their new weekly ad goes into effect.

• One-inch Wexford binders are on sale for $1.49, but unfortunately you won’t find binder dividers at Walgreens.
• Penway composition notebooks are on sale for $1.49 and Penway’s 380 sheet packs of notebook paper are also on sale for just $0.99.
• Wexford 10-packs of #2 pencils are on sale for $0.79.
• 10-count packages of Papermate black, blue or red pens are on sale for $1.49.
• Both on sale through Sept. 17 are two packs of jumbo Sharpie brand yellow highlighters for $1.49 and BIC packs of five-colored highlighters for $1.99.
• Penway one subject spiral notebooks are on sale for $0.99.
• The least expensive calculator that Walgreens has is a Wexford eight-digit pocket calculator, running you $5.99.
• Elmer’s packs of two glue sticks are on sale for $1.29.

Best Deal: ’ $0.25 half inch binders and mini composition notebooks are unbeatable, and alone are worth the trip to on Noor Avenue if you need to pick up these items. If you have a Staples Rewards account, the $4.99 pack of highlighters, giving you $4.99 in Rewards money, is also a great deal. If you want to take advantage of the lowest prices on pens, pencils, and spiral notebooks, head to for these items. All three stores have basic calculators starting in the $5.00 range, but has many to choose from compared to the one or two you’d have to choose from at or .