How To Shop For Back To School On A Budget

This is a sponsored conversation with Dollar General. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There’s always this hype about back to school and preparing for it around this time of year. To be honest, it didn’t mean much until this year. My oldest is headed to Kindergarten and I’m secretly dying inside. Like how does this happen? How do they grow so fast?

I know it’s just kindergarten, but it means it’s the beginning of her whole life and my Mama heart is starting to get emotional! Haha! I never really understood that whole first day thing, because I don’t remember dropping her off at Daycare/Preschool and feeling this way. Were you getting all of these mixed emotions?

Anyway, you all know I’m all about scoring the best deals, and back to school shopping is no exception. I’ve teamed you with Dollar General to share with you some of the best finds you can get to be prepared, but also save a little money!

Back To School Shopping At Dollar General 

I was in the DG Store recently and was able to get so much what Aria needed for her first day. The first thing I did was find her School Supplies List. On their website you can type in your zip code, find your child’s school and get their Back To School list of everything they’ll need for their classroom. Speaking of, if you’re a teacher be sure to show your school ID and you’ll get 20% off your stationary items!

Back To School On A Budget – The Basics

These are the things every kids needs to get ready to go back to school. From backpacks to supplies. Currently Dollar General is offer a special deal ‘Spend $15 Save $5’ on school supplies like the items listed below. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Backpacks – I grabbed her a new backpack. They have some fun ones, like this flip-sequins one I grabbed…But also great sets that had a matching pencil pouch and lunch box too! Aria of course wanted this one because it’s fun.

Supplies – pencils, markers, crayons, glue, notebooks and paper. Everything was so affordable, I found a bunch of things for $1: pencils, 2-pack erasers (Aria needs 6 so this is a great deal!), pencil box and glue.

Lunch Box – Aria is the pickiest eater, so she of course needed her own lunch box. They have several great options under $10. Plus you can grab individually packed snacks like Cheez-Its and fruit cups, or bulk items like chips, popcorn, pretzels and pack them in baggies. I always grab some of both!

Class Room Supplies – Another great thing to grab here is the items for the classroom, like Kleenex’s, Antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer and maybe a fun first day gift for the teacher. I grabbed a to-go coffee mug, a Starbucks card (they have these there too!) and a DG Literacy Foundation chocolate bar.

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

One of the things that’s extremely important in our house is routine. One of those routines that has not varied since Aria was a baby is our Bedtime Routine. We get clean, wind down, brush teeth, potty and then read (you can read more about our routine here and here).

My girls love books and we have a few favorite bedtime books that we go through every night. I love that now Aria is the one that wants to read them to me. She’s been reaching for some new books to read now because she has the old ones memorized. She loves learning new words and sentences…and I love seeing the joy in her face when she gets it right.

I mention this because Dollar General has a literacy foundation in honor of its co-founder, J. L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate. They have helped more than 10 million individuals learn to read, prepare for the high school equivalency, or learn English. This is so important not only for our children, but also for those adults that haven’t had the same opportunities as others.

There are a few items you can pick up while you’re shopping to help support them. Oh and did I mention they’re SO GOOD, we love the the Fudge Dipped Shortbread Cookies and Milk Chocolate with Caramel & Sea Salt bar!

You may or may not have seen, but Dollar General also has some great options for Back to School style. Check out this post for some of the things I found this Summer for $10 or less!

How are you prepping for Back To School? Since this is my first year, I’d love to hear some of your tips and tricks in the comments below!

Also, be sure to tag me (Instagram or Facebook) when you shop at Dollar General and/or grab some of these items! You could also send me a quick a email (Hello@kallieflexman.com) because I’d love to see your inspired looks, even share them with other Mama’s in my Newsletter!

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