Back-to-school shopping doesn’t have to add up fast: this list runs from quarter-priced glue sticks and crayons to sturdier picks like a backpack and headphones, all under ten bucks apiece.
1. 24ct Crayons Classic Colors – Mondo Llama™: School Supplies for Kids, Low-Odor, Multicolor, Ages 3+ – $0.25
A quarter for a full box of crayons is about as close to free as school supplies get. It’s the classic 24-color box every teacher’s list asks for, low-odor and sized for ages three and up, so grabbing a couple of backups barely dents the budget.
Parting Thoughts: At a quarter a box, losing one to the bottom of a backpack costs less than a vending-machine snack.
2. Glue Stick 2ct Disappearing Purple – up&up™: Non-Toxic, Art & Stationery, Choking Hazard Warning – $0.25
Every craft night and school project runs through glue, and two disappearing-purple sticks for a quarter keep the drawer stocked without a second thought. They’re non-toxic and sized for little hands, which matters more than the brand name once you’re buying enough to last a whole year of projects.
Parting Thoughts: Grabbing extra now means glue is one supply you never have to think about again this year.
3. 16″ Backpack – dealworthy™ – $5.00
My rule for the first-day backpack is not to overspend on something that’s going to get tossed in mud and covered in stickers within a month, and five dollars fits that bill. It’s sized right for elementary kids, fits a laptop, and comes in enough colors that nobody has to carry the one they hate.
Parting Thoughts: Don’t expect it to survive four years of middle school, but as a first backpack or backup, five dollars is hard to beat.
4. 12ct Colored Pencils – Mondo Llama™ – $0.50
Younger kids still working on art projects and coloring pages do fine with a basic pre-sharpened set, and this one runs fifty cents for a dozen. It won’t replace an artist’s set, but for homework and classroom art bins, it’s hard to argue with the price.
Parting Thoughts: Serious young artists might outgrow it fast, but for homework and coloring bins, it’s plenty.
5. 10ct Washable Markers Broad Tip Classic Colors – Mondo Llama™: School Supplies for Kids, 2mm, Multicolored, Ages 3+ – $0.50
Washable ink is non-negotiable once markers come home, and this ten-pack of broad-tip classics clears that bar for fifty cents. The tips are sized for small hands and the colors are true classroom basics, nothing fancy to lose interest over.
Parting Thoughts: This washes out of clothes on the first try, which is worth more than fifty cents any day.
6. Composition Book College Ruled Black – Dealworthy™ – $0.50
Journaling, spelling lists, daily classwork — a ruled composition book covers all of it for about the price of a gumball. It’s the plain black kind teachers actually ask for, and at fifty cents it’s easy to grab three or four so nobody’s stuck without one mid-semester.
Parting Thoughts: A spare composition book costing less than a dollar is the definition of cheap insurance.
7. 2 Pockets Paper Folder – Dealworthy™ – $0.25
Keeping loose worksheets from turning into a backpack avalanche just takes a couple of two-pocket folders, and at a quarter each you can grab a stack. They’re basic and a little flimsy, but for sorting one subject’s papers between home and school, that’s really all you need.
Parting Thoughts: Cheap enough to buy in a stack, so nobody’s ever without a folder on picture day.
8. Wired On-Ear Headphones Cosmetic Pink – heyday™ – $9.99
No charging cable to lose, no battery to die mid-class — just a wired pair of on-ear headphones for under ten dollars, adjustable enough to fit a smaller head. They cover Chromebook time, reading apps, and computer lab requirements without asking you to spend real money on kids’ tech.
Parting Thoughts: Losing a pair on the bus won’t sting much at this price — that’s basically the point.
9. Fiskars 5″ Pointed Tip Scissors – Turquoise: Kid-Friendly, 5 Inch, Lifetime Warranty, Metal & Plastic, Non-Powered Desk Tool – $1.59
Fiskars sold at nearly generic pricing is the kind of markdown worth grabbing, especially backed by a lifetime warranty on a five-inch pointed-tip pair sized for kids’ hands. The metal-and-plastic build is sturdy enough to outlast a school year of cutting construction paper and glue-stick projects.
Standout Features: The metal blades stay sharp longer than the all-plastic scissors that show up in dollar-bin multi-packs.
Parting Thoughts: Real metal blades for under two dollars beat the flimsy plastic scissors in every dollar-bin multi-pack.
10. 24ct Sharpened #2 Wood Pencils – up&up™: School Supplies, 2.05mm Point, Erasable, No. 2, Yellow, Ages 10+ – $1.99
Test day always seems to sneak up, and having two dozen pre-sharpened #2 pencils on hand for two dollars means nobody’s scrambling for a sharpener at 7am. It’s a straightforward multi-pack that beats buying name-brand pencils one dwindling box at a time.
Parting Thoughts: Two dozen pencils for two dollars is the kind of math that makes stocking up painless.
11. 4pk Highlighters – up&up™ – $1.99
Middle and high schoolers annotating textbooks and study guides need a highlighter pack that won’t bleed through the page, and this four-color set stays under two dollars. It covers the basics — yellow, pink, green, orange — without paying extra for a dozen shades nobody uses.
Parting Thoughts: Nothing fancy here, just exactly what a study session calls for at a fair price.
12. Pencil Sharpener 2 Hole 1ct – up&up™ – $0.49
A dull pencil with no sharpener in sight kills homework momentum fast, and this dual-hole one fixes that for under fifty cents. The enclosed cap catches the shavings, so it travels fine in a pencil case without dumping everywhere.
Parting Thoughts: Under fifty cents for something you’ll actually reach for daily is as close to a no-brainer as school supplies get.
