The Frugal Mom's Guide to Back-to-School Shopping

As the remaining number of summer days dwindles and back-to-school looms in the not-so-distant future, frugal moms have one thing in mind: shopping for school supplies. 

Here is a wallet-conscious guide that compares the prices offered by different local retailers for supply-list essentials.  

Patch surveyed: Staples (855 Central Park Ave.), Office Depot (423 Central Park Ave.), CVS (725 Saw Mill River Rd.) and Target (9 City Pl, White Plains).

Ultimately Staples and Office Depot were the clear winners in this "bargain stand-off," offering generic brand supplies--such as Staples brand--that are comparable to name brands but sold at reduced prices. They also offer the option of buying in discounted bulk-- suggesting that it may be a good idea for multiple families to shop together and split up the loot at the end.   

Staples and Office Depot also had the best overall selections. Target, which also has it's own store line of products, is a close runner up.

Office Depot also currently offers many excellent "two for one" and "buy two get one free" deals, that may disappear during the early-September crunch.  

Following are the specifics of our survey:

Marble Composition notebooks:

• Staples - 99 cents
• Office Depot - $1.00
• CVS - $3.29 / 1.50 with CVS card
• Target - $1.00

Two inch binder / One inch binder:

• Staples - Heavy duty - $9.79 / Soft cover – $2.49 Heavy duty – $2.99 - $7.99
• Office Depot - $4.49 - $8.49 / $2.99 - $6.99 (Buy one get one free on all binders!)
• CVS - $9.39 / $5.99 ($5.00 with CVS card)
• Target - $4.29 / $1.52 - $3.99

Loose Leaf paper:

• Staples - $2.99 for 400 sheets / 79 cents for 120 sheets
• Office Depot - $2.99 for 500 sheets
• CVS - $2.99 for 150 sheets
• Target – 99 cents for 175 sheets

Dividers - 5 Tab / 8 Tab:

• Staples – 5 Tab - $4.29 / 8 Tab - $5.79
• Office Depot – 5 Tab - $2.19 / 8 Tab - $2.59
• CVS – 5 Tab - $1.69 / 8 Tab $1.89 (Buy one get one free!)
• Target –  5 Tab - 97 cents / 8 Tab - $2.69

Highlighters:

• Staples – 6 pack (Staples brand) $3.99
• Office Depot – 12 pack $5.99 / Sharpie 2 pack $1.99
• CVS – Sharpie 4 pack - $3.59
• Target – 5 pack (Target brand) - $1.74

Mechanical pencils:

• Staples – 5-pack - $2.99
• Office Depot – 12-pack pencil mate brand - $3.79
• CVS – 5-pack - $3.29
• Target – 10-pack (Target brand) – $2.94

Index cards 3x5 / 4x6:

• Staples – 500 3x5 cards - $3.49 / 500 4x6 - $5.49 / 100 3x5 cards - 99 cents.
• Office Depot – 300 3x5 cards - $1.99 / 300 4x6 - 2.99
• CVS – 180 3x5 cards - $3.49 / 50 4x6 cards - $2.19
• Target – 100 3x5 cards - 44 cents / 100 4x6 cards - 84 cents

Calculators (From basic to scientific calculators):

• Staples – $3.99 -19.99
• Office Depot – $1.00 - $22.95
• CVS – $5.99 – 10.99
• Target – $4.99 – 14.79

Here are some exclusive deals to be had at specific stores:

Staples:

• 18 - Pack retractable ballpoint pens for only $5.00
• 25% – 50% off all backpacks

Office Depot:

• 2 for 1 binder sale
• 10-pack of two-pocket folders for only $2.49
• 6-pack of one-subject notebooks (70 sheets each) for only $3.06
• Staedtler brand math tools set (plastic) which includes a calculator, protractor, compass and ruler for only $3.99
• 4-pack of glue sticks for only $1.49

Target:

• 20 ballpoint pens, blue or black, for only 99 cents
• One-inch binder and one-subject notebook package deal for $3.50
• Discounted backpacks, many under $20

Concerned about finding an affordable laptop? Best Buy, Staples, Sears and Radio Shack all sell refurbished laptops through their websites. Discounts on new HP, Compaq and Acer laptops can be found at Staples, and many other affordable options are also available at Office Depot.

Some prices will undoubtedly be subject to change due to retailers varying promotions; this is only meant to give a general overview of where to find the best bargains.