Discussions

So I'm starting school supply shopping for the first time and I was wondering if people actually buy exactly what the school specifies or do you buy off brands? Obviously I understand some stuff is better than others but some of the price differences are huge!  
Just looking to see what others do...

I don't buy all the brands on the list, but I do try to keep it with good quality brands. I find crayola to not be as good as some other brands, but the list often asks for crayola.

I'm all about the best deal! And another thing I've learned is not to send all 40 pencils and 6 glue sticks etc etc all at once. I'll send half in sept when school starts then the rest after Christmas break! Teacher can always let you know if they need something before that. The first cpl years of school I was getting back so much unused supplies. Also another handy tip so you don't have to write kids name on everything...buy some graphic style tape instead and use that as your kids' label!!

I've always just sent money as my daughter goes to Riverheights, but I seem to recall that sometimes the brand thing is due to allergies (although not all).  
 
For example, Elmer's Glue has a "peanut free" label on it (does glue really have peanut protein in it?), and some brands of crayon has soy. Latex would be another one.  
 
Is it possible to check with the teacher?

They are dealing with 20+ kids - the least I can do is send exactly what they ask for and hopefully make their job just a little easier!

I am a substitute teacher. Cheap pencils are a pet peeve of mine. Leads in cheap pencils break inside all the way up. I've seen kids spend half a class sharpening a pencil because the lead keeps falling out. They can also sharpen away half the pencil before they can get a point on it so in the end you don't really save much. This goes for pencil crayons too.

As a parent and a teacher, I try to stick to the list as much as possible. Teachers choose brands as they hold up in the classroom. That being said, I did but a different brand for my kids for one thing as I find it superior than what they recommended. Sometimes what seems cheap is actually that and will cost you more money in the long run.  
 
P.S. stay away from pencils at the dollar store. They are a teacher’s nightmare.

Growing up in Wpg and my mom doing the shopping for all 3 of us. Then I moved to Ontario where all school supplies were supplied so I was fortunate to not have to buy supplies.

Never have, never will! I buy the same stuff I buy for our work office, as I know it holds up and doesn't break the bank! Also, I don't & won't send them all at once, they are kept at home in the desk, take more if you need more. Lets me keep an eye on what they're actually using and what they may need more of soon.  
 
No way do kids need 60 pencils and 8 glue sticks for school- 5 pencils 2 glue sticks, if you run out because you lost or destroyed them then take another. Otherwise they get thrown into a communal bin at our school, and kids come home with NOTHING left at the end of the year to reuse. I still have half of last years schools supplies list here, and my child never went without.  
 
A lot of times the most expensive items are what's on the list, and there IS a difference between dollar store supplies that don't work/last like they should and buying elmers not uhu. Does my child need Stadler pencil crayons if crayola is cheaper- hell no!

I remember one year when I was in elementary school in Winnipeg, my teacher required everyone to buy everything on her list verbatim, as she did not want students being bullied for having cheaper school supplies than others. My parents tried sending me to school with a different binder than what was on the list ( it was on sale ) she would not let me use it. I had to take it home and buy the appropriate binder. It was a little extreme I think lol  
 
I know this is a rare circumstance, mostly just a funny story about the topic.  
 
As many have mentioned, the important supplies, like pencils, it's better off in the long run to buy name brands.

High school lists? Have a teen headed into high school this year and haven’t seen a list. Is it the typical binders, loose leaf, basics and teachers will advise if they need more or is there an actual list? And is there a certain calculator one will require or wait to see what math teachers recommend? Thanks for the help

Pawprints said "I used to give my child's list to Christie's and they filled the list. I hated going from store to store to store just to get a deal.     I haven't used them in a while but just wondering since the fire, will they be offering the same service? I believe they are still in business but have no idea where or what they provide. "

You can still do this, their phone fax etc are all the same & they''re operating out of the town center. Just call and you can place your order and pick up!  
 
 
** No need to take the list, they have copies of each grade for each school.  
 
Edited by Happy Trails , 2018-07-23 22:12:36

I would get the qty's they wanted most of the time never the brands they wanted. Paper, we bought the heavier grade paper where erasers didn't scratch through the cheap stuff. For the amount they wrote one ream was more than enough. Glue sticks never bought the cheap ones as they never stick. Binders we would buy in the US when clothes shopping at JC Penny as there was more variety so it was nice to have something different than the rest. Kleenex was always the lotion kind, hated the cheap stuff that chapped your nose. Never did send all supplies as one year did that nothing came back. Send in bits at a time and always had lots left over at the end.

Last year half of the kids stuff came back home. So this year I’ll be only sending 1/2 the amount of things needed. If they need more, they can come home and ask for more pencils etc and will get them for the next day. The only thing I buy new each year is markers and glue. They dry out. But otherwise the 30+ pencils that came home last year are fine for this year.