School stationery shopping is an emotional affair filled with lists, exhausted parents and nagging children – well at least that’s what it looks like in the supermarkets in January.

We are lucky that our son’s school goes with the “we supply everything, just give us extra money” option. Much less fuss and they manage to keep it quite affordable. But this is not the case for everyone, so if you are having trouble with your stationery shopping, here are some tips that might help.

These tips are courtesy of BIC, and we all know BIC knows stationery (and lighers but that’s for another day)

Take control of your own shopping basket:

While ordering a stationery box through your child’s school may seem like the obvious choice, it’s not necessarily the only option. You might end up with stationery items that you don’t necessarily need. Take control, shop yourself through physical or online stores, and choose the items that you and your child prefer. Pro tip: you don’t have to buy the brands specified on the stationery list provided by the school, and you don’t have to send 10 glue sticks and 24 pencils with your child on the first day. You have the option to purchase what your child needs at the beginning of the school year, and replenish later if needed. 

Use what you have:

Check what you can reuse from previous years and shop smartly for the remaining/needed items from budget-friendly retailers.

Be budget wise

Don’t be shy to shop for some of the items at the second-hand uniform shop at your child’s school, where you will find good bargains for half the price. 

Use labels and checklists:

Kids play around at school and might end up misplacing items they bring from home. Do yourself a favor and ensure that all items including stationery, lunchboxes and clothes are properly marked. Pro tip: create a checklist of your kid’s items and give it to them to help them (and yourself) remember what needs to be packed before they leave school to head back home. This will not only teach kids responsibility, but will also help avoid the frustration of misplacing items and save costs on replacing them. 

Get lunchbox smart:

avoid the temptation to fill your child’s lunchbox with a variety of fancy pre-packaged goods unnecessarily. Keep it simple. healthy snacks like fruit, carrots and cucumbers, as well as popcorn, and rice cakes, go a long way. You could even whip up some basic treats with your kids over the weekend, and add those to the lunchbox.