B2S Shopping Begins!

I finally did it!  I broke down and went back to school shopping yesterday.  I tried to make it a few more weeks, but when I walked into Target and saw the Dollar Zone overflowing with goodies, I simply couldn't help myself.  I wish y'all could have seen my husband's face as I just kept putting more and more into my basket.  His eye kept getting bigger and bigger.  I think he thought I had gone temporarily insane. He's such a good sport.

Anyway, check out my HAUL!!

Isn't it amazing? Honestly, I don't think I have ever bought THAT much stuff from the Dollar Zone.  (I think that may have been what worried my husband.  Normally I'm so level headed.) But there was just so much good stuff!!!  Y'all understand, right?

First, I bought 6 paperback dictionaries and 6 thesauruses for only $1 each!! Last year there was a bit of a dictionary shortage at school, or at least in my grade level.  I was always having to borrow and then I would get a bunch of different editions and publishers.  The trouble with that is some words are in some children's dictionaries and some words aren't.  Plus, the guide words are different and the definitions sometimes which made it difficult to grade any dictionary practice sheets.  I'm excited to have 6 of exactly the same one.  They are light making them easy to carry around the classroom and small making them easy to store.  I'm basically in love.  On top of that, I picked up 6 thesauruses too.  As fourth grade is a big year for writing, I enjoy introducing my writers to a thesaurus, but I previously only had one so they had to share!  Now, I have six so if six kids want to really get into learning and trying out new words, than can!!

 

Then, I found the Dr. Seuss corner! OMG! There was so much great stuff there.  They had Lorax pencils and Lorax erasers and so much more.  But, with hubs standing right behind me and starting to get a facial twitch, I did show some restraint.  I came out with enough super cute erasers for Dr. Seuss week AND these great Thing 1 and Thing 2 bags.  (They had Lorxa bags and One Fish, Two Fish bags too!!) I am planning on keeping one of the bags to use at school for recess and I'm giving the other one to a good friend on my team.  You see, we are often referred to as Nerd 1 and Nerd 2 because we do things like write lesson plans (yes, some of my team members do not) and turn in our paperwork on time.  It's become a bit of a joke, so these seemed totally appropriate!!

Here is a close up of the erasers, so that you can see just HOW cute they are.

Next, count them... yes, three little pocket charts!! I have friends that have found these at Target, I have seen them on a million different blogs, but I never was able to find them for myself.  I'm so excited.  Things would have been perfect if they had a green and yellow one, but for right now, I will settle for red, blue, and purple.  Whoo-hoo! I also picked up a few of those tiny erasers and a really basic plan book to try using for my conference notes.  This was a great idea I got from Nicole at Tadpole Tidbits.  So, one more thing to add to my teacher pensive.

Math games anyone?  That's right, I found two great bingo games: time and multiplication/division. Now, I don't work with the most careful kiddos on the block, so I'm happy to have some quick math games they can play that were cheap! This way if pieces get lost in 2 weeks, I will be okay with it all. Oh yeah, plus I found one of those Quick Quiz things.  I didn't see anything for 4th grade, but this multiplication book for 3rd will be perfect.

Now, I couldn't forget social studies.  I found 3 quick reads for my social studies book bin.  One is about the presidents, one is all about the Declaration of Independence, and one is a great reference on the 50 states.  The thing I like most about these books is that they are all written on a 3rd grade level.  Hooray for history books that are accessible for most of my students! Normally these high interest topics are a bit out of reach for some of my kiddos.  I also couldn't pass up the physical map puzzle or the 2 sets of info cards on presidents and the states.  I love sticking these info cards in my book bins for kids to read.  It's not a book, so it like you are not really reading, right? At least that is what I want my struggling and non-readers to think. 

I did find 2 more treasures that were in my big haul picture, but didn't fit into my later categories.  I picked up a book on fables (seriously packed with great stories at a 3.7 reading level) and a cute teacher notepad. 

So, you are probably thinking "Is she done yet?" Is your face starting to twitch like my husbands?  Haha! I made one more stop yesterday that I think is worth sharing.  Hello Staples!! Just look at the great things I got there!

I bought 5 more Expo dry erase boards for $3 each.  I'm sure many of you have seen the dry erase boards at Target for a dollar.  Well, last year I thought I had hit the jackpot.  I bought at least 10 to supplement the 15 high-quality expo boards I had purchased prior to my first year of teaching. The dollar boards started out strong at first, but it wasn't long before they became difficult to erase and really frustrating for my students.  They would argue and fight to get the better ones.  I made the decision this year to just go ahead and get the Expo boards.  Mine have already lasted 5 years and still work great, so I bought 5 more bringing my total to 20 boards.  I think this might be one area where a little bit of extra money is well spent and $3 a piece is a great deal.  Also, no limit on how many you can buy at the store.

I also grabbed 2 sets of dividers for a penny each and those dry erase markers you see there.  Great Fabulous deal on the markers!

Each package was only $1! I got 24 black dry erase markers for $4! Can I get an OH YEAH??

I haven't used Staples brand before for this particular item, but everything else Staples brand I've bought has been great, so I'm confident they will work out. I bought all black (the mixed pack is on sale too) so my students could all have the same color. These great deals are going on all week so I might go back for another round of markers. There is a 4 package limit.

I also spoke with the sales associate about teacher deals.  Many of you may know that in the past Staples would let teachers buy 25 of sale items and receive the sale price on all 25 of those items.  Meaning, last year I could have bought 25 packages of dry erase markers for $25.  This year, they have changed their policy.  Teachers can only receive the discounted price for the same quantity as any other customer.  The difference is that if you buy more and pay the full price on the additional items (beyond the set limit) you will receive the discount credit on your Staples rewards card. Basically, this means you pay up front and do receive the discount and sale price but it is in Staples rewards money down the road not right there at the register. I'm a bit disappointed in the change in their policy because it is not as easy to get the deals, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, and I appreciate that they allow teachers to bulk up on so many items at a good price.

Alright, so that's my HAUL and it was quite a HAUL.  I think I have broken the seal on the B2S shopping! Stay tuned to see what other great deals I find.  And, please share your good deals below in the comment section.

Happy shopping!