You've heard me talk about my Staples shopping trips in previous posts. They changed their Teacher Rewards Program this year which means teachers can no longer get the huge amount of instant savings at the register. Basically, teachers spend money on certain items and in return get 100% back in a rewards certificate to be spent in the store the following month. As shown in previous shopping trips I spent about $80 in July. I received $65 back in Staples Teachers Rewards.
While this change hasn't been my favorite, I'm still pretty happy that I was able to get some great deals on school supplies. Districts do the best they can with budget cuts. My district is awesome about taking care of its students and staff. However, teaching has rigourously changed over the years. In order to keep learning occuring at its best, teachers often purchase supplies for their classrooms and then purchase more for their own children.
If any of you happened to catch Teachers Rock on CBS last night, you may have heard Walmart spokeswoman say that teachers spend approxiamtely $500 a year out of their own pockets on supplies for their classrooms. This is totally true! Honestly, if you're moving grade levels or new to the profession this can be amount can be even more. So getting rewards and deals on supplies is really important for a teacher's personal spending budget. You know since teachers are so overpaid!! I can't tell you how many times I've been out buying supplies when someone asks "Doesn't the school pay for that?" or "Don't you get money to spend at the beginning of the year for that?" The answer is no. A lot of people who are not an educator doesn't seem to understand how this is possible. I've even heard that in other states, such as California, districts can no longer ask for school supplies from students. Everything must be provided by the teacher or the school. Now that's crazy!
This is my haul today. Doesn't look like much but school supplies are expensive!
Retail Back to School Sale Price
Staples Stickies 12 pack $13.99 $5.00
Staples Stickies 12 pack $13.99 $5.00
Stickies Mini 12 pack $6.29
Sharpie Fine 12 count $9.99 $6.00
Record Book $7.99
4 inch Glitter Letters $6.29 Free Teacher Promotion
Kodak Ink $19.99
Pencils 2 packs $2.00 $0.50
(3) Composition Book Wide Rule $3.00 $0.30
Post It Novelty $2.99
Command Hanging Strips $9.99
Total Retail Value: $96.52
Total at Register: $64.05
15% Off Back to School Pass: ($6.87)
Total: $57.18
Amount Paid: NOTHING!!! Due to Teacher Rewards Earned in July :)
I also have more rewards to spend.
The guy behind me at the register was like "How did you manage that?" Kinda made me feel like I was on Extreme Coupoining or something HAHAHA.
I did buy a Post It 5 Pack for $7.79 on accident. I didn't include this in the total. I'm gonna exchange it this afternoon for a 12pk Stickies for $5. That's what happens when you don't pay attention to how things ring up at the register.
Like I said, in the picture it doesn't look like $100 worth of stuff, but school stuff is expensive. I go through post it notes and sharpies like crazy. I'm super excited about being able to get this using my Teacher Rewards, especially after having to throw away a lot of my supplies this year for reasons beyond my control.
If you have children and want to make a teacher happy, ask what supplies the teacher needs. Classrooms are always in need of something such as pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks, colored paper, etc. It really varies on the teacher and the needs of the classroom. If you see something on sale, grab an extra and donate it to your child's classroom!
Happy Shopping!
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