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If the thought of back-to-school shopping is stressing you out, that's understandable, and you're not alone.
Prices keep climbing, that supply list feels longer every year, and between new clothes and supplies, families are spending hundreds just to check everything off. According to the National Retail Federation, families plan to spend an average of $860 on back-to-school shopping this year.
But before you rush in, know this: you can get some relief just by shopping at the right stores.
Because that's really what overspending comes down to: wrong stores, wrong categories, five stops when two or three would do. This guide gives you category-by-category tips on where to buy, covering the whole haul, not just the classroom list: the toothpaste, the sanitizer, the classroom donation items and more. Keep our latest back-to-school deals open while you read.
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The Shopping Game Plan
Here’s the whole plan in one shot: where each category is cheapest, the backup if that store isn’t close, and when to buy.
The Basics
These are the items you're buying no matter your kid's age, grade, or teacher: pencils, pens, erasers, highlighters, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, folders, crayons, and markers.
Want to see all this in one spot? Download our cheat sheet PDF.
The verdict: Walmart, for almost all of it. Their back-to-school deals are the most aggressive out there, pricing the basics dirt cheap just to get you in the door, with store-brand crayons and glue landing at $0.25 and no coupon-clipping required. Target runs nearly identical pricing, so grab whichever is closer to you. Only stepping up to a nicer art set or a specific brand on the list? Michaels wins that one with a coupon or one of its frequent art-supply sales up to 60% off.
Never pay more than:
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$3: 18-ct. Ticonderoga-brand pencils ($4 for 24-ct. mechanical pencils)
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$2: Highlighters (4- to 5-ct.)
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$0.99 pens (10-pack)
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$0.50: Crayola crayons, washable markers, generic colored-pencil pack
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$0.25: pink eraser
When to buy: Mid-to-late July for the supplies. They hit rock bottom the last two weeks of July and start creeping back up once August supply lists post, which is the opposite of what most shoppers expect.
The stack: Layer Walmart’s prices with Walmart Cash (when available), Ibotta, and Fetch Rewards back-to-school rebates. Prefer Target? Stack Circle offers and Circle gift card deals right on top of the weekly ad prices. And if you're shopping at Target, don't forget about the extra 5% back with your Target Circle card.
KCL TIP: Here's a back-pocket hack for one big Target trip. If you're a teacher shopping for your own kids, or you've got a college student who isn't going to use theirs, Target gives verified teachers and college students a coupon for 20% off one storewide purchase (through Sept. 12). Save it for your biggest Target basket and let it ride right on top of the sale prices.
Tween + Teen Essentials
The personal-care and getting-bigger items that never make the school list but still end up in your cart: deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and sunscreen.
The verdict: The drugstore (CVS or Walgreens) or Target especially if you have a Target Circle Card for an extra 5% off.
Prices to look for (after drugstore rewards):
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$3: Colgate toothpaste
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$6: Coppertone sunscreen
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$5 Kotex 36-pack
When to buy: The daily-prep stuff runs on the drugstore's weekly rewards cycle year-round, so buy the week your store's ad features it. Buy sunscreen early so it is on hand for the first weeks of school, and grab the first-period kit in August with the rest of the personal-care run.
What's stackable: Stack the weekly sale with a manufacturer coupon and watch your total drop. If you're shopping at a drugstore, be sure to layer on rewards (ExtraBucks or Register Rewards) and roll them into your next trip.
The stack: Drugstore rewards for the personal-care run, and Target Circle on the rest. Heading to college? Verify your student status in the Target app (iOS / Android) for 20% off one storewide purchase (through September 12, 2026), which is made for the dorm haul.
College kids can also grab Amazon Prime Student. This gives them a 6-month free trial, Prime at half price, plus student-only deals on dorm gear.
Notebooks and Binders
The price of paper goods can pile up fast: notebooks, folders, filler paper, and binders.
The verdict: Notebooks are a three-way tie. Staples, Target, and Walmart all land spiral notebooks around $0.35, so just grab them at whichever store is closest to you (Office Depot tends to run a little higher, closer to $0.50).
Where the office-supply stores pull ahead is their weekly doorbuster deals on folders and filler paper: those drop to $0.25 to $0.35, but only a few at a time, often with a limit per customer, and the lineup changes every single week, from now until school starts. The one clear call in this category is binders: skip name-brand Avery, which runs several dollars, and grab a store-brand one-inch at Walmart instead.
Prices to look for:
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$0.25: paper folders
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$0.50: plastic folders
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$0.35: spiral notebooks
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$1.50: store-brand one-inch binder when on sale
When to buy: Mid-July to early August, when the office-supply weekly ads really heat up.
The stack: Sign up for the free store rewards programs (Staples Easy Rewards, Office Depot/OfficeMax Rewards) so you earn points back on everything you grab during the weekly deals. The points stack right on top of the sale price.
KCL TIP: Set a weekly reminder to scan the Staples and Office Depot ads through August. In past years, Staples has offered a free item with any purchase most weeks leading up to school (often things like Post-it notes, Sharpies, or a pack of paper).
Backpack, Lunchboxes, and Water Bottles
The gear your kid hauls back and forth every day: backpack, lunchbox, and water bottle.
The verdict: Target, for the gear. Cat & Jack backpacks come with a one-year guarantee that beats anything else at the price (around $20, sometimes less on sale), and the lunchbox and water-bottle selection runs deep enough that you’re not settling for leftovers.
Prices to look for:
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$4.97: Walmart Wonder Nation 17-inch backpack (regular price once they hit shelves in July)
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$5: Dealworthy 16-inch backpack (Target)
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$3: Basic lunch bag from Dealworthy
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$5-$6: Water bottles from Target brands Cat & Jack and All In Motion
When to buy: This is the category where your instincts will lead you wrong. The nicer name-brand backpacks and lunchboxes bottom out in August, not July. Last year, for example, we saw JanSport backpacks hit 25% off in early August at Amazon and sporting goods stores.
One exception: if you just need a functional bag on the cheap, Walmart’s Wonder Nation 17-inch is around $4.97 at regular price the minute they hit shelves in July. And Target's Dealworthy backpacks are $5. So there’s no reason to wait on those. Tariffs on man-made-fiber backpacks are up this year, so last year’s discounted styles are the real value play on the pricier bags.
The stack: Target Circle offers to bring down the sale price.
KCL TIP: Hang on to your Cat & Jack receipt. That one-year guarantee means a busted zipper or torn strap in March is a free replacement, not another $20 out of your pocket.
Tech and Accessories
The higher-ticket items on the list: headphones and the graphing calculator.
The verdict: Amazon, with Walmart as backup, for headphones. But the calculator is where the real money is, and I'm going to be straight with you: the smart move is catching it new on sale. Walmart is the one to watch here (that's where the current deal is). You'll usually see it mark the TI-84 Plus CE way down from its usual $149 to the $75 to $85 range, which actually beats going refurbished. Hunt for that sale first. If you strike out, a renewed one from a reputable seller like Amazon Renewed is a good backup.
Prices to look for:
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$75 to $85: a new TI-84 Plus CE on a back-to-school sale
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$95: a refurbished TI-84 Plus CE (reliable fallback)
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Under $20 ($10-$14 JLab or generic): Headphones. Watch for late-August clearance
When to buy: Early, and I mean it. This is the one category where waiting actually costs you. Tariffs have been pushing imported-electronics prices up the past year, and the retailers who stocked ahead may only hold their lower prices until that inventory runs out. The deal sitting there now might not survive late August.
The stack: Watch Walmart’s back-to-school calculator sale for the TI-84, with Amazon Renewed as the reliable fallback. Look for back-to-school bundle deals on headphones and flash drives.
Limited-time: Walmart has the TI-84 Plus CE new for $90 right now (regularly $149).
Classroom Donations
The community-supply items the class list asks every family to pitch in on: tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, and plastic storage bags.
The verdict: If you want to buy in bulk (maybe you're buying for multiple kids' classrooms), this is where your Costco, Sam's, or BJ's membership comes in. Want to buy in smaller batches? Walgreens is the standout here: storage bags drop to less than $1 per pack, often as a buy-one-get-two-free store deal. Meanwhile, hand sanitizer is cheapest at Walmart or Target.
Prices to look for:
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Under $1: storage bags at Walgreens (even better as buy one, get two free)
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$1: hand sanitizer at Walmart or Target
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$1.25 a box: Tissues
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$0.04 per sq. ft.: Paper towels
When to buy: These follow their own curve. Unlike the classroom basics, donation items stay cheap into August and September, so there's no need to fight for them in the July frenzy.
What's stackable: Drugstore rewards plus a manufacturer coupon on anything that goes on sale on its own, and buy-one-get-some-free deals that stretch a single purchase across the whole class list.
Bonus: Clothing and Shoes
Not a school-supply-list item, but part of the same haul: new clothes and shoes for the year ahead.
The verdict: Shop during your state's sales tax holiday (if it has one), and stack that tax break on top of clearance instead of full price. Target runs clothing Circle deals like $10 off $40, and Walmart's prices are hard to beat. Seventeen states hold a tax-free weekend in 2026, most the first weekend of August (Texas and Missouri run Aug. 7 to 9), with a few in July. Florida runs a whole month.
Prices to look for: Whatever clearance already has it marked down to, then let the tax holiday take the last little cut. Tax-free holidays are a nice discount, but you still want to combine it with a sale price.
When to buy: Your state’s tax-free weekend for the tax break. No tax break in your state? Shop late August into September for the deepest apparel clearance.
The stack: Tax-free weekends + store clearance + a store card or rewards program.
Brand Name vs. Store Brand: The Only 10 Calls That Matter
Not every item deserves a bargain-bin swap, and not every name brand earns its price. So let’s cut through it. Nail these 10 calls, and you’ll never second-guess the store-brand aisle again.
Worth paying up for (a few even show up on the supply list by name):
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Crayola crayons. Store-brand wax skips and flakes. Just spring for the real thing.
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Ticonderoga pencils. They sharpen cleaner and break less. If you buy one name brand all season, make it these.
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Fiskars scissors. Safety scissors that actually cut, and the 5-inch kids’ pair runs under $2. Easy yes.
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Elmer’s glue. The washable formula and glue sticks that actually hold. Store-brand glue is where craft projects go to peel apart.
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Expo dry-erase markers. Off-brands dry out fast, and these turn up on supply lists anyway.
Go generic every time (your wallet won’t know the difference):
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Filler paper. Paper is paper.
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Pocket folders. Store-brand runs $0.25 versus $1+ for a name. Easy call.
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Pencil boxes. Zero quality difference worth paying for.
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Erasers. A pink eraser is a pink eraser.
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Index cards. Generic performs the same.
The Back-to-School Buying Calendar
Timing is half the game here, so here’s the whole season at a glance. Three windows, that’s it.
Mid-July: the basics hit bottom. Crayons, pencils, glue, notebooks, and filler paper are at their rock-bottom prices of the year right now. Grab the classroom list this week, before August supply lists send demand (and prices) climbing back up.
Early August: paper doorbusters + tax-free weekends. The office-supply weekly ads peak, and most states run their sales-tax holiday the first weekend of the month. This is your window for clothing, shoes, and paper products, so make it count.
Late August into September: everything-else clearance. Tech and clothing go on clearance. This is when you grab next year’s gear for pennies and anything you were able to hold off on.
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