Back To School On A Budget: Elementary School Students

Eager young Amherst students will soon be going through the doors of Clark/Wilkins Elementary School once again on August 29.

They need to be prepared for another school year, which means that you will be paying for all those school supplies before they hit the classroom.

Amherst Patch took a list of recommended school supplies for K-3rd graders and priced it out so you can get an idea of how much you will need to spend this year. Then you can form your budget, and see if you can find even cheaper bargains. Amounts for some items are an estimate and may not reflect how many your student needs.

Here is the list:

Backpack - $8.00
Lunch bag - $5.99
Pencils - $7.97
Erasers - $1.48
Pencil box/pouch - $2.29
Pens - $9.97
Crayons - $0.80
Colored Pencils - $2.84
Ruler - $0.65
Blunt tip scissors - $2.25
Glue stick - $0.50
Markers (waterproof) - $5.49
Book covers - $19.95 (5 count)
Composition notebook - $7.00
1 Subject notebook - $2.47 (4 count)
Folders - $3.70 (5 count)
3-Ring Binder and filler paper - $20.88 (4 count)
Tissues - $1.37

Total: $103.60

This list leaves out the new outfits your children are probably sporting as they go back to the classroom, but that is a whole other issue. We hope this helps you get an idea of what you need to spend; at least those college costs are far down the road.

Information gathered from Walmart.com and Staples.com. Prices used in our list are based on items most likely to be purchased by a budget-minded parent and do not reflect the range of prices on different brands. Recommended school supplies taken from Walmart.