School supplies - Share your cheap (online) supplier

[*Efjay*]

So Im on the hunt for a bargain. Does anyone use online stores to purchase their school booklists? Who? Where? cheap cheap cheap! lol

[Phteven]

Our school uses OfficeMaxSchools - we just order online by selecting our school and grade and they deliver everything on the list to the school.
We used to use Jacarandah which has the same system but they changed it this year.

Do you have to find everything on the list yourself? That would be a total PITA.

[*Efjay*]

no I can use the school supplier (ours use flexischool) but Im boycotting because each child would be over $150 each then the school ALSO charges you a resource fee (over $100 each also) add that to the normal school fee's & for public education that is just insane.

[*Efjay*]

at a glance officemax seems to have good prices

[AnyDream]

Our primary school also does it through OfficeMax. I've found their prices are comparable with what you might get elsewhere. I've not found it cheaper to shop around except for the costlier items, eg, dictionary (usually cheaper at Big W), calculator, USB drives, art pencils.

Having said that, for the budget-minded, we keep our overflow supplies from each year and only buy those things that we absolutely need. For eg, each year they might say your child needs a dictionary - but in actual fact it's the same dictionary that only changes once from lower to upper primary AND you can usually get it cheaper at Big W. Every year, I sit down with a box of nappy wipes and clean and sharpen all the pencils, test out the textas etc. This usually means we only need to top up a few items rather than buying every single thing on the list. Likewise, any exercise books that only have a few of the pages used get re-covered and used the following year. You would be surprised how much you can save by doing this.

In early primary school they often share all the pencils etc in tins, so I send them in like normal, but in higher grades the spare stationery stays at home in MY cupboard, regardless of what the teacher says. Especially in public schools where the school cannot require the parents to supply stationery. In the past we've sent it all in as requested for the "spares" cupboard (eg multiple pens, pencils, coloring, gluesticks) but in actual fact those materials have been given to other students, so there were none left to replace DD's supplies as she ran out of things during the year.

[*Efjay*]

yep, office max didn't have all the stuff I needed & Officeworks had almost all (except for a few od Isla's things which I only need 1 of each, where with the boys I need to supply 15 of the 1 book!) & Yep, opt for pick up . I will source my stationary needs (pencils etc) from Kmart, as while I know the quality is not great. My boys have proven every year that they can not keep track of their belongings so I am not spending a heap on quaility stuff that *should* last at least the first semester because I can bet my right arm, 3 weeks in they will tell me they need something because its lost. Im actually going to speak with their teachers about it. Last year was just insane. My oldest tend to break things I think out of nervous/anxiety related issues & my second oldest out of frustration. They are both special needs so I think it would be a fair call to ask the teachers to not let them keep everything at their desk this year.

And YES the whole bring in 10 books so we can supply your child throughout the year, yet we give them to everyone... ****es me off. Last year I covered Isla's books for her. I spent time & money on covering them for her, how she wanted them. Special for her first year at school. When they went in, anybooks covered, had the cover removed & it was all shared amongst the class. Now I know I might sound slack but parents are told to pay a resource fee per child on top of supplying everything the child needs, including several boxes of tissues & hand soap as well as copy paper. So I expect the items I send in for my child to be for my child.

This year I am sending in portions of the requested items & as they need them, I will send more.

[nothing2lose]

Our school does the same as Zazou's. As soon as we pay our voluntary contribution ($250 base rate) we get our box of goodies.

I don't think you'd get any cheaper online than Big W or Kmart.

[Chocaholic]

Prices are cheap maybe but check delivery fees. I always get caught there

[Katters]

Why not order online then go pick it up from store always cheapest. They pack it for free.

[Beatrix]

I have never had to supply books or pencils?

In SA you pay your school fees (about $240 a child public school) and they supply all stationary and books.

[Olive]

We're the same ness, we pay and get to take supplies home to label etc...then take back on day one

[*Efjay*]

I have never had to supply books or pencils?

In SA you pay your school fees (about $240 a child public school) and they supply all stationary and books.

I know! When the kids went to school in sydney we paid a per child fee that was capped per family & that was that. When we moved here & they handed me all the booklists & fee's I was like WTF?!