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Hello New School Year!
If there’s one thing I often looked forward to at the start of every school term, it’s shopping for school supplies. The excitement may not be as grand for college shopping (because let’s face it, college supplies are much more expensive and thought-provoking if we’re needing other expenses apart from those for classes), but there’s still always that idea of looking for new things to use for a fresh start – in this case, the start of a different grade, different classes, different clubs, different instructors, different classmates, and overall different learning environment, techniques, and subjects. All of which have one ultimate goal – to expand our knowledge and experiences.
Unless specifically informed by your instructor, avoid purchasing every material you think you’ll need, including textbooks. Instructors are typically lenient if you don’t have certain materials and will specify the materials needed for their class on the first day.
It does not make anyone any less of a student by not purchasing new materials every year. The materials are requested to help aid students with their work, and if any one of these materials is still in proper working condition, there is no harm in reusing them. I’ve used a couple of my materials for more than three years, and they have never hindered me from excelling in my classes.
Materials vary based on schools, grades, and teachers. Additional materials may be needed based on class subject assignments or projects. They may be deemed as helpful optional materials by students (acquired by their personal preferences and learning styles) for further organizational and beneficial aid towards their overall focus in their classes.
*Optional Supplies: These materials are substitutions for the primary materials listed, are needed only through specific subjects, assignments, and projects, or are helpful materials wanted by students (acquired by their personal preferences and learning styles) for further organizational and beneficial aid towards their overall focus in their classes.
Elementary School Materials (Kindergarten-5th Grade)
PRIMARY SUPPLIES
#2 Pencils
12-inch ruler
3-Ring Binder (Personal Preference: One (1) 3-inch binder)
Backpack (Personal Preference: Rolling backpack)
Colored Pencils
Crayons
Erasers (Personal Preference: Pencil tops)
Highlighters
Index Cards
Laptop
Liquid Glue (Personal Preference: Glue stick)
Pencil Case (Personal Preference: Pencil pouch)
Pencil Sharpener
Pocket Folders (Personal Preference: One (1) per subject, multi-colored)
Pocket Tissues
Reusable / Disposable Face Masks
Spiral Notebooks (Personal preference: One (1) per subject; wide-ruled paper)
Water Bottle
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES
Book Covers
Calculator
Construction Paper
Dictionary
Sketchbook (Personal Preference: Pocket-Sized)
Electric Pencil Sharpener
Expanding File Folder (Personal Preference: One (1) per quarter/semester – depends on the amount of schoolwork given and kept)
Graph Paper
Gym Bag
Lunchbox + Bag
Mechanical Pencils
Pair of Blunt-Tip Scissors
Pencil Grips
Pens (Personal Preference: black and blue ink)
Translucent Tape Rolls
Travel-Sized Disinfectant Wipes
Washable Markers
Watercolor Paint
Junior High and High School Materials (6th-12th Grade)
PRIMARY SUPPLIES
#2 / Mechanical Pencils
12-inch Ruler
3-Ring Binder (Personal Preference: One (1) 1-inch binder per class)
Composition Notebook (Personal Preference: One (1) per subject; college ruled paper)
Correction Fluid / Tape
Graph Paper
Highlighters
Index Cards
Laptop
Laptop Bag
Liquid Glue (Personal Preference: Glue stick)
Loose-Leaf Paper (Personal Preference: College ruled paper)
Paper Clips
Pencil Case (Personal Preference: Pencil Pouch)
Pencil Lead Refills (Tip: 0.5 leads are lighter & thinner, thus better for drawing. 0.7 are thicker and darker, thus better for those who tend to press hard on the pencil.)
Pencil Sharpener
Pens (Personal Preference: black & blue ink)
Pocket Folders (Personal Preference: One (1) Expanding File Folder per quarter/semester – depends on the amount of schoolwork given and kept.)
Pocket Tissues
Reusable / Disposable Face Masks
Scientific Calculator (Personal Preference: TI-84 calculator)
Sheet Protectors
Stapler + Staples
Sticky Notes
Travel-Sized Disinfectant Wipes
USB Flash Drive
Water Bottle
Permanent Marker (Personal Preference: One (1) Black Sharpie Marker)
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES
Binder Subject Dividers
Bond Paper
Book Cover
Change of Clothes
Colored Pencils
Construction Paper
Crayons
Dictionary
Earphones / Headphones
Electronic Accessories Bag
External Hard Drive (Personal Preference: 1-TB size)
External Mouse (Personal Preference: Wireless mouse)
Graph Paper
Gym Bag
Hole Punch
Ink Cartridges
Locker Organizers
Loose-Leaf Paper (Personal Preference: College ruled paper)
Lunchbox + Bag
Mousepad
Page Markers
Pair of Scissors
Portable Laptop Desk
Printer (Personal Preference: Wireless printer *The printer I’m recommending works great; the only disadvantage is it does poor quality scans.)
Protractor + Compass
Sheet Protectors
Sketchbook (Personal Preference: Pocket-Sized)
Subject Dividers
Translucent Tape Rolls
Watercolor Paint
College
PRIMARY SUPPLIES
#2 / Mechanical Pencils
12-inch Ruler
Calculator (Personal Preference: Scientific TI-84 calculator)
Composition Notebook (Personal Preference: One (1) per subject; college ruled paper)
Correction Fluid / Tape
External Hard Drive
Highlighters
Index Cards
Laptop
Laptop Bag
Paper Clips
Pencil Case (Personal Preference: Pencil Pouch)
Pencil Lead Refills (Note: 0.5 leads are lighter & thinner, thus better for drawing. 0.7 are thicker and darker, thus better for those who tend to press hard on the pencil. Personal Preference: 0.7)
Pencil Sharpener
Pens (Personal Preference: All ink colors)
Pocket Folders (Personal Preference: One (1) Expanding File Folder per quarter/semester – depends on the amount of schoolwork given and kept)
Reusable / Disposable Face Masks
Sticky Notes
Textbooks
Travel-Sized Disinfectant Wipes
USB Flash Drive
Water Bottle
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES
3-Ring Binder (Personal Preference: One (1) 1-inch binder per class)
Binder Subject Dividers
Bond Paper
Box of Tissues
Colored Pencils
Construction Paper
Crayons
Dictionary
Earphones / Headphones
External Mouse (Personal Preference: Wireless mouse)
Glue Stick
Graph Paper
Gym Bag
Hole Punch
Ink Cartridges
Loose-Leaf Paper (Personal Preference: College ruled paper)
Mousepad
Page Markers
Pair of Scissors
Permanent Markers (Personal Preference: One (1) Black Sharpie Marker)
Pocket Tissues
Portable Laptop Desk
Printer (Personal Preference: Wireless printer *The printer I’m recommending works great; the only disadvantage is it does poor quality scans.)
Protractor + Compass
Sheet Protectors
Sketchbook (Personal Preference: Pocket-Sized)
Subject Dividers
Stapler + Staples
Translucent Tape Rolls
Watercolor Paint
Money-Saving Tips
REUSE SUPPLIES
The trick is to take good care of the current supplies – give them a good cleaning and they’ll look like new. Of course, there are those that definitely have to be replaced or refilled, such as paper, glue, pens, etc., but other than that, unless something is completely unable to function properly, it’s a wise money-saving strategy to reuse current supplies.
BUY AS THE SCHOOL YEAR PROGRESSES
What I’ve learned throughout the years is that some supplies never make it out of their original packaging – I never used them even though they were on the supply list. For the most part, focus on supplies you’ll see yourself using within the next month, and only buy the other supplies once an assignment or project requires them.
SHOP AROUND
Do browse multiple stores when doing school supplies shopping. This may take up more time, but if you really want the best deals for quality products, it’s worth the search. Office supply stores are almost always the number one place I’d go to for supplies, but there have been a couple of other supplies found at Target, Walmart, or even a grocery store with an office supply section. If you’re opting to shop online, always give yourself ample time to make sure that your order(s) arrive to you before you need them.
PAY ATTENTION TO DEALS & DISCOUNTS
Stores, both online and in-store, typically offer back-to-school and year-end clearance sales. There are a couple of student websites that offer student discounts year-round as well. You would need to sign up and show proof of your student status.
USE YOUR RESOURCES
Up until high school, printers and textbooks are almost always available for free, or to borrow, for their students. This will save costs on printers and having to purchase textbooks. Many instructors would most likely have staplers, staples, scissors, and hole punch available in their classroom for their students to use. For college students, Amazon has great deals on renting textbooks. Unless you truly want to keep your textbook for the long run, renting them is highly advisable.
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What are some of your must-have school supplies?
