{"id":300438,"date":"2026-01-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/?p=300438"},"modified":"2026-01-05T11:37:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:37:49","slug":"money-saving-tips-for-parents-stationery-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/money-saving-tips-for-parents-stationery-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Money-saving tips for parents: stationery on a budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

School is upon us and if this year’s stationery list has made you grey, here are some tips from this mom of seven, with five children at school, to save you some pennies next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips from mom\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. Spring-clean\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It seems unrelated, but while the children are still home and bored let them clean. Lots of stationery and other long lost items will suddenly find their way home again when you move the beds, strip the mattresses and repack the cupboards and school bags.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"file<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Buy the name brands\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This tip may seem counterintuitive, but quality versus quantity is the key to this hack. The cheaper brand is usually inferior and gets used up or breaks more quickly, while the better-quality brand gives you better value for money as it needs to be replaced less frequently.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Stock-up throughout the year\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The worst time to buy something is when it is in demand, because that’s when the price goes up. Keep an eye on the sales pamphlets throughout the year and when the prices drop, stock-up. Which also brings me to the next tip\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Buy in bulk\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Things that don’t expire but are used up quickly, such as pencils, erasers, books and so on can be bought in bigger quantities when they are cheaper and stored until they are needed, and if your child no longer needs triangular pencils then\u2026\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stationery<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5. Swap with friends\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do you have leftover books with Irish margins that your child only needed for Grade 4, or unlined books that you zealously over-bought extra for Grade 1 that you’re now stuck with? Reach out on social media groups and see if there are parents who would like to swap or buy it from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ: How to keep school costs from ruining your January<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Browse the thrift spots\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thrift shops, church bazaars and car-boot sales are good places to browse for discounted stationery. You may even find other useful items that are going for a steal.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Put some skin in the game\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A lot of stationery or school items are lost throughout the year because it takes some children time to learn to be responsible. They learn it a lot faster though if they have some skin in the game. If you’ve had to replace a lost item multiple times, then attach a penalty. Dish out pocket-money fines or screen time bans for items lost due to irresponsibility and the lesson will hit home a lot sooner.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Re-use\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

All those brown-paper shopping bags and saved pieces of giftwrap work just as well as book covers. Make a point of saving them and if your little one wants to add some colour, decorating their own brown-paper book covers can be a fun holiday project.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. Save the packaging \n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Don’t throw out your cereal or tea boxes. It can be reused as cardboard for school projects. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise with all the plastic packaging that comes with deliveries. A lot of it can be re-used to cover books and some of the bigger zipped bags can be reused as pencil bags. You won’t only save your pocket but the environment too.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. DIY\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some items on the stationery list, like paint and play dough, can be made at home from items in your kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No cook play dough<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Grade Rs and 1s usually have playdough on their school stationery lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n