I’ve had people ask about getting school supplies for free 🙂 or cheap :(.  Here’s how you start, by accumulating things as you go along, not all at one time.  That way is the road to Hell, frankly, because you know that Walmart, Target is going to have a bunch of great stuff and a couple of crap prices, but most people will say “Oh, I’m already here, so I’ll just pick up the widgets.”  Well, I wouldn’t say that, but still…

You know you can use competitor’s coupons at Office Depot, Office Max and Staples, right?  Well, I used the $4 coupon in the Office Max overleaf page of the weekly ad to get a dozen Sharpies for a buck at Office Depot.  Easy peasy, just give ’em the coupon and the buck plus tax.  Do this with all the school supplies you know you will be buying:  pencils, folders, pens, markers, binders, etc.  Pick up a few items every week, and by the time school starts you’ll have picked up all of it (and more to last you the rest of the school year) for slightly more than tax.