I used to think that ‘style’ for back-to-school only applied to clothes and shoes. Not any more! The latest trend seems to be fun and funky school supplies.
Confession: I’m a total school supply/office supply junkie. Hand over a cute notebook, and you’ll win my affection. Throw in a snazzy three-ring binder and we’ll be BFFs for sure.
I knew that notebooks and folders had gotten a makeover in the past few years. I just didn’t realize how many stylish school supplies were out there until we went to Office Depot last Saturday. Be still my office supply-lovin’ heart.
Time to Go Shopping
Now if you’re not a homeschooler, our back-to-school shopping probably looks a bit different from what your kiddos needed. We’re well stocked with glue sticks, pens, and pencil boxes. Our biggest purchase happened to be a toner cartridge. Because for school, we print. A lot. (Oh and did I mention getting 20% off at the Star Teacher Appreciation event? Wahoo!)
Emma had also outgrown the regular kid scissors we’d been using. So we were on the hunt for a pair that was bigger, but not as big as grown-up scissors. We found these Fiskars designed especially for big kid hands. They say ages 12+ but we’re going to give them a try. Oh and did I mention that they’re pink? That’s always a shoe-in for the win at our house.
While we were shopping, here’s what else we found.
Hello, fashionable three-ring binders. Isn’t work more fun to do when it’s housed in something pretty like this? While most of the designs were super-girlie, I did see a few sports-themed ones that would work for boys or girls.
They had tons of cute composition notebooks too. I remember having one choice, the standard black and white composition notebook pattern. Blah. Emma assured me that she HAD to have the “I’m a hot mess!” notebook. (Hmm… You don’t suppose she’s heard me use that phrase one too many times, do you?) Office Depot also had these sweet little glittery, shimmery folders and notebooks.
What I like most about these is that kids can express their personal style in their school supplies. (It’s less permanent than coloring their hair purple, right?) Plus Office Depot has them priced to not break the bank. Win-win.
Super hero thumb drives, a 24-pack of Crayola Twistables, pastel mechanical pencils, and a PINK compass? Oh my YES! Emma was thrilled to have the girlie options.
We also picked up a few of the plain folders that were on sale for a penny. While I love a great fashion statement, I also love a good bargain. To jazz up those plain folders, we picked out some Washi tape. (Care to guess what color it was?) We’ll be adding our own style to the plain folders, giving us school supplies and a craft project all in one.
School Supplies Checklist Rewards
If you’re heading out for back-to-school shopping, see if your school supply list is registered at Office Depot. If it is, your school can get 5% back from your purchase. That means free supplies to alleviate out-of-pocket expenses for teachers. Teachers can create a school supplies checklist with their school code, and you can use that list to earn them free supplies. Click here to see if your checklist is registered with Office Depot.
Also, make sure you’re signed up for the Office Depot Rewards program. It truly is the most personalized rewards program I’ve seen. Getting the rewards back on a monthly basis instead of quarterly is a huge bonus.
Disclosure: I am participating in the #ODRewards campaign sponsored by Office Depot. For more information about Office Depot Rewards, visit their website.
