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This is the cheapest place to buy your back to school supplies

How to save money on school shopping. - by Laura Barry
  • 21 Jan 2020

WATCH: Should you be booking another holiday already? A new study suggests that children who travel more perform better in school. Watch the video below for more. 

Once the Christmas holidays are over and everyone is getting back into the swing of things at work, the next item on the to-do list is buying back to school supplies for the kids.

As any parent know, getting your children set up for a new year at school can be an expensive and challenging job to complete. Depending on the age of your children, you could have a shopping list that includes safety scissors and pencils, or a list that includes a new laptop and digital accessories.

Fortunately, Choice recently completed their Back To School Challenge, which compared the pries of traditional school supplies at Australia’s biggest retailers, such as Kmart, Big W and Officeworks.

school supplies
Getty

CHOICE conducted the comparison by putting together a list of 17 items Australians typically need when their kids are heading back to school, including pencils, pens, scissors, and water bottles. We then compared prices for these items across Officeworks, Kmart and Big W on the same day. 

“Back to school supplies can quickly add up,” says CHOICE’s Managing Editor, Marg Rafferty. “Uniforms, shoes, backpacks, lunchboxes, and stationery amount to quite a lot of money, especially if you have more than one child at school. It’s important to shop around so that you can get the best deal possible.” 

“We’ve already done some of the work for you with our price comparison, and we’ve found that Officeworks is the cheapest place to shop for school supplies. Now parents can have a better understanding of what they should expect to pay.” 

Officeworks proved to be the cheapest place to buy back to school supplies, Costing just $26.87 for the 17 items. Big W cost $29.69 for the same items, followed by Kmart at $30 for the same items.

infographic
CHOICE

Full list of items included in shopping basket:

5-pack HB pencils

12-pack coloured pencils

Pencil sharpener with receptacle to hold shavings

10-pack ballpoint pens

10 pack colouring pens

Pencil case - the kind where you cut out letters to slip into the slots

4-pack highlighter pens

Eraser

Glue stick

64-page exercise book

Roll of adhesive book covering (2m)

A4 spiral-bound notebook (120 pages)

2-ring binder (25mm)

Water bottle (stainless steel)

Scissors

Ruler

Correction tape

You might also like:

5 healthy snacks perfect for the school lunchbox

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Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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