School shopping means one long list and a budget that shrinks with every aisle — this is the stuff you buy in bulk without thinking twice, the everyday basics that keep a backpack stocked all year without touching real money.
1. Crayola Crayons, 24 Count, Classic Colors – $0.50
A box of 24 classic Crayola crayons covers nearly every color a coloring sheet or poster project calls for, and at $0.50 it’s one of the cheapest name-brand buys on this whole list. These are noticeably more vibrant than the off-brand boxes and hold up longer over the school year, which makes the couple extra cents over a generic set worth it.
Parting Thoughts: Grab two or three now so you’re not scrambling for a red crayon in November.
2. Pen+Gear Wide-Ruled 1-Subject Spiral Notebook, 70 Sheets – $0.35
Every subject on a middle or elementary schedule needs its own single-subject notebook, and this wide-ruled 70-sheet Pen+Gear version rings up at $0.35. The paper holds up better than you’d expect for the price, with less ink ghosting through the page than some pricier name-brand notebooks.
Parting Thoughts: A few of these in different colors turns subject-sorting into something a six-year-old can manage alone.
3. Pen+Gear Letter Size 2-Pocket Paper Folder – $0.25
Nothing keeps loose homework from turning into a backpack avalanche like a basic two-pocket folder, and Pen+Gear’s letter-size version is $0.25. It comes in enough colors to color-code every subject without spending more than a couple dollars total.
Parting Thoughts: It’s about as cheap as backpack organization gets, and it actually works.
4. Elmer’s Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks, Washable, 2 Count – $0.50
I always toss an extra glue stick or two into the supply pouch because they vanish by October, and this two-pack of Elmer’s washable glue is $0.50. The purple-to-clear formula lets kids see exactly where they’ve applied it, which cuts down on the globs.
Parting Thoughts: The washable formula is what saves you when it lands on a shirt instead of the paper.
5. Pen+Gear #2 HB Unsharpened Wood Pencils – $0.92
Test day, worksheet day, standardized testing day — a #2 pencil is the one item that shows up on literally every supply list, and a pack runs $0.92. These are unsharpened wood pencils, so plan on picking up a sharpener alongside them.
Parting Thoughts: These aren’t fancy, but fancy isn’t what a #2 pencil needs to be.
6. BIC Cristal Xtra Smooth Medium Point Ball Pens, Black, 10-Pack – $0.97
Ten BIC Cristal ballpoint pens for $0.97 is the kind of deal that makes stocking up for the whole year painless. The medium point writes smoothly enough for older students moving past pencils and into pen-only assignments.
Parting Thoughts: A name-brand ten-pack at this price beats reaching for the store brand.
7. Crayola Colored Pencil Set, 12 Count – $0.97
Art period runs a lot smoother when everyone has their own set instead of fighting over one shared box, and this 12-count Crayola set is $0.97. The color laydown is noticeably richer than a generic set, which matters when the assignment is actually about the coloring.
Parting Thoughts: Worth the extra attention over a generic set whenever the coloring is the point of the assignment.
8. Crayola Broad Line or Fine Line Markers, Classic Colors, 10 Count – $0.97
Markers are where quality actually shows up on the page, and Crayola’s washable ten-pack — broad or fine tip — is $0.97. The classic colors stay bright longer than cheaper sets tend to, and washable means they come out of clothes and off tables.
Parting Thoughts: Skip the bargain-bin markers this year — this one’s barely more and lasts noticeably longer.
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9. Sterilite Small Pencil Box – $0.78-$0.92
My kids’ pencil box has taken more drops down the stairs than I can count and the latch still holds, which says something about a Sterilite box priced between $0.78 and $0.92. The hinged lid and snap latch keep pencils, erasers, and a sharpener from scattering across a backpack.
Parting Thoughts: A box like this earns its keep well past the first week of school.
10. Pen+Gear Wide-Ruled Filler Paper, 150 Sheets – $0.84
Loose-leaf paper disappears fast the moment a binder enters the picture, and 150 sheets of wide-ruled Pen+Gear filler paper covers a long stretch of homework for $0.84. It’s pre-punched for a standard three-ring binder, so there’s no separate hole punch to buy.
Parting Thoughts: Most students won’t run out of paper before the semester does with a pack this size.
11. Pen+Gear Pink Block Erasers, 2 Count – $0.47
Anyone still learning to write in pencil goes through erasers fast, and this two-pack of pink block erasers is $0.47. The beveled edges get into corners a pencil’s built-in eraser never quite reaches.
Parting Thoughts: A cheap add-on that saves more torn-up worksheets than you’d expect.
12. Pen+Gear 5-Inch Blunt-Tip Kids Scissors – $0.87
Cutting day in a kindergarten or first-grade classroom calls for scissors that won’t do damage if aimed the wrong way, and these five-inch blunt-tip scissors are $0.87. The rounded tips and stainless blades handle construction paper and glue-stick projects without much fuss.
Parting Thoughts: The right first pair of scissors for a kid who’s still learning where fingers go.
13. Pen+Gear Ruled Index Cards, 3 x 5, White, 100 Count – $0.72
A hundred ruled index cards is the cheapest study tool on this whole list at $0.72, and they work just as well for vocabulary flashcards as they do for book report notes. The ruled lines keep handwriting from sliding all over the card.
Parting Thoughts: Toss a hundred of these in even if they’re not technically on the list — flashcards happen more than you’d think.
14. Fiskars 12-Inch Wood Ruler, Inches and Centimeters – $0.64
A ruler seems like an afterthought until geometry homework needs a straight line, and this twelve-inch Fiskars wood ruler with inches and centimeters markings is $0.64. It’s a small, easy item to lose track of, so keeping a backup in the supply box helps.
Parting Thoughts: There’s nothing flashy about a ruler, but a solid dual-scale one for under a dollar is hard to argue with.
15. Pen+Gear 2-in-1 Plastic Pencil Sharpener – $0.47
This two-hole Pen+Gear sharpener is the one supply that gets used almost every day and loses itself in a backpack just as often, and it’s $0.47. The two hole sizes handle both standard pencils and the fatter colored-pencil barrels.
Parting Thoughts: Cheap enough to buy a couple extras so there’s always a spare when one disappears.
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