Saving money on school supplies


I just came back from Tzomet Sefarim with 900 shekels worth of school books for three kids- one in high school and two in elementary school.  That price includes some used books, doesn’t include four books on back order and considers the fact that I have one child who participates in the schoolbook-lending program (השאלת ספרים).  I am fortunate enough to receive vouchers through work so I only paid 685 shekels, but I am still reeling.  As I am sitting here and thinking, I started to check out the lending program from Misrad HaChinuch.  I learned to my chagrin that schools are not required to participate as I previously thought, but they do have a section for parents to encourage their child’s school to participate and how it works:

שלבי הפעלת התכנית

I have decided that we will be meeting with Teenager’s school principal to institute this project next year.  If your school does not participate, I highly recommend that you approach your school’s principal as well.  It shouldn’t matter what type of school your children go to- there are Arab, Druze and Jewish schools participating; chiloni/mamlachti, mamlachti dati and charedi schools in equal numbers.

You might have realized, as have I, that this price does not include school supplies!

Luckily for us, Ynet just published their survey of where to find the cheapest school supplies, and some of their conclusions might surprise you.   First of all, with the exception of kalmarim (pencil holders) and yomanim (diaries), prices stayed about the same as last year.  Office Depot claims that their prices went down 20-40%, but Ynet only noticed that decrease in children’s furniture.  So what is the  bottom line?  Ynet estimates 500-1000 shekels per child for school supplies alone (including a backpack)!!!   Some other tidbits from the article:

  • National chains like Toys R Us, Kravitz and Office Depot have the same prices throughout the country.
  • Other stores like Kfar Sha’ashuim, Idan 2000, Max Stock and Pirat HaAdom have varying prices from store to store.  They are generally cheaper than office supply stores, but for example Kfar SHa’ashuim and Pirat HaAdom’s Tel Aviv stores are more expensive than the Holon or Bat Yam stores.
  • Kravitz tends to have only the newest models of school supplies; Office Depot has older versions with newer prices.
  • Max Stock does not carry brand names- for those who need to avoid them, this is an advantage as well aas the lower price that comes with it.
  • Don’t forget Reshet Mashu which sells supplies for 1.5 shekels!
  • An advantage of the independent smaller stores is that they are willing to bargain.  Just say “but I saw it cheaper at …” and they are generally willing to go down in price.
  • Overall, Kravitz is the most expensive store; the cheapest store depends on what you are buying.
  • Prices go down at the end of August, so unless your child has his heart set on a specific brand name, it pays to wait until then to make your purchases.
  • Don’t just check prices when purchasing a backpack, check the volume as well (נפח).  Each year backpacks tend to get lighter and smaller.
  • Paper-covered notebooks are always cheaper than plastic-covered.
  • Middle/high schoolers- one notebook with several subjects is cheaper than buying individual notebooks.
  • Looseleaf paper (דפדפת) is cheaper than notebooks.
  • When buying looseleaf paper, pay attention to the amount of pages and the weight of the paper when comparing prices.
  • If you have the time and energy, devote a day to school supply shopping and check out at least two stores.
  • Some things aren’t worth the cheap price- cheap pencils don’t sharpen properly, cheap pens run out of ink quickly, cheap wite-out can have a truly awful smell. [Pencils are our pet peeve- we only buy the gray/orange ones or the blue ones- everything else we find to be made of many tiny leads and can't be sharpened]
  • On the other hand, there are some good and low-priced objects, and the price is artifically upped because of the brand or teen idol on the cover.
  • European products are generally of better quality than Chinese products.
  • Don’t succumb to all the glittery extras- sports bottles, lunch boxes, alco-gel and the like.