Homemade school supplies
Categories: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Money & work
My five-year-old can't wait to go school shopping and drools over the markers, novelty erasers, and pencil boxes each time we go shopping. Now is a good time, with stores pricing things low for the back-to-school season.
But if you're trying to be a little more frugal this year or just like to make use of household items you already have of hand, Reader's Digest has a few suggestions for homemade school supplies. Some of them are a little nonsensical -- making index cards out of paper plates, for one. A pack of paper plates would cost you more than a pack of index cards right now, but the tip might be handy on a Sunday night when your tween announces he needs them for school the next day.
Others, like three-hole punching a ziploc bag and putting it into your child's three-ring binder to hold pencils and erasers might just work. And if you're a recycling family, there are a lot of other unusual uses for household goods that might otherwise be thrown away.
But if you're trying to be a little more frugal this year or just like to make use of household items you already have of hand, Reader's Digest has a few suggestions for homemade school supplies. Some of them are a little nonsensical -- making index cards out of paper plates, for one. A pack of paper plates would cost you more than a pack of index cards right now, but the tip might be handy on a Sunday night when your tween announces he needs them for school the next day.
Others, like three-hole punching a ziploc bag and putting it into your child's three-ring binder to hold pencils and erasers might just work. And if you're a recycling family, there are a lot of other unusual uses for household goods that might otherwise be thrown away.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nancy 8-15-2008 @ 10:22PM
Simple things can be fun for the kids if THEY make them. Instead of "making do" they get the fun of "hand making" things. It is a matter of perspective. Lunch bags one of the forgotten items before school? Find one of the gift bags left from Christmas and make that lunch REALLY special--especially if it is a NEAT bag to begin with. Forgot to buy ink pens? Have a "treasure hunt" through the house for pens and pencils. (It is more fun if there is a "prize" involved.) Need a pencil bag? The bank gives away money bags at many banks. Not only do they zip up neatly and have plenty of room, but they are more durable than anything you will buy on the school supply aisle. Just use some imagination and praise the kids when they come up with like-minded ideas.
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