For those of you searching for the best back-to-school deals, I’m with you! I was excited with the southernsavers.com list of school supplies until I realized that Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max were not included. Then I found the list from yourretailhelper.com which was better. (For direct links to these deals, please visit Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page. By the way, have you liked my page yet?)

Having received our school supply list this week, I began to prepare for our school year.

Took Inventory

After printing our supply list, I read through it and consulted my rising first grader for his input. Having purchased a quality backpack and lunch container last year which are still in great condition, my son did not ask for new items this year. I was so excited that he was willing to use what he had. He did not expect new items for school. What a blessing!

Raided the Supply Cabinet

By stocking up on inexpensive school supplies from previous back-to-school sales and freebies throughout the year, I had almost half of his needed supplies. With my son’s help, we gathered the items on the list. My son enjoyed choosing the green scissors from the 5 pairs we had on hand as well as the pencils and spiral notebooks.

Searched the Sale Flyers

With my revised list of needed items, I consulted yourretailhelper.com and my local sale flyers. I noted the least expensive prices, circled the items, and selected stores close together, including a retailer that price matches.

Shopped the Stores

All three stores were in a 1-mile radius of each other which allowed me to use my time wisely and make the trip quick and easy.

Staples – purchased 4 packages of 5 tab divider inserts for $.50 each. With our tax free weekend, my total was $2.

Walgreens – bought 4 packages of pink pencil erasers (2 per pack) for $.29 each totaling $1.16. My Walgreens was out of the Crayola Markers on sale for $2 generating a $2 Register Reward (store coupon for Walgreens). Since there are no rain checks for Register Reward deals, I walked away from the $2 sale price.

Target – snagged 3 packages of glue sticks (6 per pack) on sale for $1 each. Then to avoid running all over town for 2 other great deals, I decided to try price matching. I chose two other items: Elmer’s glue (4 oz.) and Crayola crayons (24 ct.). After gathering the items, I consulted an associate for these details.

Go to Customer Service. To price match items at my Target, I needed to checkout at customer service.

Present the FULL sale flyer. Since I only shop with the one sale page listing the sale item, I hit a little snag. Target’s policy is that they need to see the full flyer. Thankfully, each page had the sale date listed, so the associate price matched my items. Whew! Lesson learned.

Allow the Associate Time. The cashier needed to input lots of items from the flyer. I was price matching 3 bottles of Elmer’s glue from Target’s $.40 each to Publix’s 3 for $1. After completing that price match, I also used Kmart’s sale on the crayons to change the 4 boxes from $.40 each to $.24 each. These savings were not worth running across town to other stores. However, a few minutes at Target (where I planned to shop) netted the same result.

Stay Calm. Be gracious if there is a problem. (Remember you do not need to purchase an item if you disagree with the price.) Completed my checkout process, paid, and on my way.

Shared a Picture

When arriving home and realizing that my take was 18 glue sticks, 4 boxes of crayons, and 3 bottles of glue for $4.96, I took a picture. When you get a great deal, take a picture and share it with us in the comments or on Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page. Though I could leave you hanging, I will not do that to you. I will post my picture below and on Facebook. 🙂

Whether you are preparing for the new school year or just restocking your supply cabinet, you can stretch your dollars by shopping at a retailer that price matches. Saving on gas and the price of the product is a win-win option. Remember when price matching to take your full sale flyer and chose the exact same product that is advertised. Keep on stretching your dollars as you are using time wisely!