Bulk Buying School Supplies

So is it just me or does it seem like you can never have enough school supplies? The kids are always running out of this or that or losing pens and pencils and I’m not certain, but they seem to eat their pages from their exercise books and printer paper!

Well no longer will I be worrying about those silly and totally inconvenient dashes to the Newsagency, Office Supply or local Grocery store because the kids have run out of something. I have found that so long as you can find a safe place (but not too safe, as it would be lost for all time, as all things are that I “put in a safe place” have been) to store things, then buying in bulk is most definitely the way to go.

Once you receive the good old book list, do a little research and see what deals are on and where. For a small delivery fee you can buy online from various places (including your local Woolworths or Coles and you can do your weekly grocery shop online at the same time. No struggling with bags, kids, traffic etc.)

There have been countless bulk deals with rock bottom prices on school supplies through www.catchoftheday.com.au and www.scoopon.com.au that I’ve actually begun to wonder if they were making any money at all! You can also check places like eBay for some bulk bargains and www.officeworks.com.au is always a good one to contact about deals on just about anything.

If you’d rather purchase the goods in person so you can see the quality first then check catalogues, do a little online research and see what deals are available in your local area, as well as ask around to get a general idea on where the best deals are to be found.

Quality is a key point to remember when buying most school supplies. I have bought the generic brands of pens and pencils many a time, purely because the multipacks are large and they have a small price tag. Well, they simply don’t compare. The pens run out of ink quicker, either because of a smaller amount of in in them or due to leaking! The pencils are a lot harder and don’t seem to work properly and go all splintered and funky after they’re sharpened and don’t get me started on things like liquid paper and glue!

Keep an eye out for multi-buy packs of exercise books. These are fantastic value and will be used in excess for certain. I have seen great deals on packs of 10 exercise books (your choice of page quantity) in Coles, Woolworths and especially Big W. When you can get such great deals on them grab a few. Worst case scenario? You’ve bought enough to have a couple left for next year too!

You can sometimes catch a bargain on bulk supplies of school books from ‘cheapie shops’ like Crazy Clark’s or Sam’s Warehouse too so don’t be afraid to buy from them as most times the books come out of the same factories as the more expensive brands but have a different cover. The books will all be covered anyway so it really doesn’t matter if the cover isn’t as trendy or is maybe a little thinner!

Something else to keep in mind when buying supplies in bulk is the grades the kids are in. For example, if you have a child in prep you’re not going to need bulk packs with pens included and if you have a middle high school student then you are likely to need more printer paper and less pens and pencils as most work will be done up on a computer and then printed out.

Another way to save even more through bulk purchasing is to get a group of other parents to commit to purchasing in bulk with you. Then approach your chosen supplier/business about further discounted rates for larger bulk buys. This can work out incredibly cheap and the more people you get in on the deal the smaller the cost per individual.

Now, as for the contacting of all those books and labelling all those pencils and glue sticks”¦. Well”¦Good luck with that!

Belinda is a stay at home Mum of three lively children, with a wonderful husband, good sense of humour, a keen eye for a bargain and is a bit of a “Bel’ of all trades.
She enjoys reading, writing, sewing, craft, renovating, having fun with her family and getting the chance to finish a cuppa while it’s still hot!