School Supplies Closet: Simple ways to save money and be organized
It is the new school year and you have probably been getting ready for school. Time and money will be spent buying new exercise books, contact, text books, pens and paper.
As a teacher I think it is great to see well prepared students on the first day. Organization is the key and it helps when children have all the equipment on day one. But what about after 100 days of school? Or at Christmas break?
You see, there is this mysterious creature that seems to eat all the pencils, and only leaves those that don’t work. He loves school calculators, especially around maths tests, and seems to only take your child’s stuff and no-one else’s.
You know what I am talking about. And it is frustrating and wasteful. One solution to this problem is to create a School Supplies Closest. I use one both in my classroom and at home and it has certainly cut down the money I now spend on stationary and pens .
What is a School Supplies Closet?
It is a place to keep old supplies. I store an assortment of pens, pencils, scrap paper, paper clips, ruler and glue. Folders, display folders and page protectors are also there.
School Supplies Closet – at school
In my classroom I have a bookcase. At the beginning of the year I stocked it with supplies from the previous year. I have brought scissors, rulers, stapler and pencil sharpener for the class to use. My students know that if they forget something, they just go to the shelf. At the end of the day I put any equipment left behind on the shelf. So it is a lost property shelf as well. This bookcase works well in my class for a number of reasons:
- Students don’t have to leave the class to get their stuff
- My lesson doesn’t stop, the students just get what they need
- It stores lost property and students know where to look if they have lost something
- Students learn that you can re-use and recycle
Great Tip: If you want to quickly scan a room and see who is using the classroom equipment, dip the ends of pens and rulers with some coloured paint.
Schools Supplies Closet – at home
At home I use a cupboard at the front door. The reason why it is hidden is that we now have a 2 year old daughter who loves using textas and glue, on the walls.
Get Started.
- Find a cupboard to use. Let your family know that every time they find a spare pen, crayon, ruler or paper lying around then they need to put it in the cupboard
- Scavenger Hunt – Ask your children to clean their rooms and find any stray equipment. Put it in the closet.
- Utilise hand me downs. If you have children of different ages, keep their textbooks and supplies. They may be used for the same assignment in the future.
- Buy extra supplies, especially at Back to School sales.
- Use coupons to top up supplies
Good luck, and next year you can go shopping in your Supplies Closet before hitting the shops.
