Here are the BEST office & Back-t0-School deals for the week of 9/2/12!

CVS

Kleenex Tissues Regular 100ct or Lotion 70 ct $0.99, limit 5
Use $0.50/3 Kleenex Facial Tissues, 50 ct or higher or (1) bundle pack, excludes trial size from SS 8/12 (exp 9/23)
$0.82 each, when you buy 3

Lysol Disinfecting Wipes, 80 ct $5.00
Use $0.50/2 – Lysol Disinfecting or Dual Action Wipes
$4.25 each, when you buy 2

Georgia Pacific Copy and Print Paper, 500 sheets
Buy One Get One 50% Off

Rite Aid

Sani-Hands Hand Sanitizing Wipes, 50 ct $2.99
Buy 1, Submit for $2.99 Single Check Rebate, Limit 1
Pay $2.99, Submit $2.99 Single Check Rebate
Free!

All Copy Paper $3.99
Sani-Hands Hand Sanitizing Wipes, 50 ct $2.99
Submit for $2.99 Single Check Rebate
Free!

Bic, Sharpie, Pentel, Pilot or PaperMate Writing Instrument
Buy One Get One Free
Price Varies

Mead Five Star, Cambridge, Trapper Keeper, or Flex Brand Item
Use $2.00/1 Five Star Binder, including Five Star Flex Hybrid NoteBinder from RP 8/5 (exp 9/30)
Or $1.00/2 Five Star products, including Student Planning from RP 8/5 (exp 9/30)
Or $1.00/2 Five Star Reinforced Filler Paper products from RP 8/5 (exp 9/30)
Price Varies

Assorted Backpacks, Lunch Kits, or Lunch Totes
Buy One Get One Free

Scotch Tape, Fashion Notebooks, Theme Books, Composition Books or Portfolios 50% Off
Use $1.00/1 Scotch Magic Tape One Handed Tape Dispenser from SS 8/5 (exp 10/31)
Or $0.25/1 Scotch Magic Tape product from SS 8/5 (exp 10/31)
Or $1.00/1 Scotch Pop Up Tape product from SS 8/5 (exp 10/31)
Price Varies

Mead Notebooks, 70 sheets or Composition Books $0.66 each when you buy 3

Art Skills, Darice, Crazy Art, Mega Brands, Crayola or Playskool Arts and Craft Supplies, Royal Posterboard or Mead Art Tablets
Buy One Get One Free

Elmer’s Glue, Staplers, Staples, Sharpeners or Scissors, Home or Harvard Square Writing Instruments, Tablets, Index Cards, Poly Notebooks, Glue or Tape
Buy One Get One Free

Kleenex Tissue 100 ct or with Lotion 60 and 70 ct $0.97
Use $0.50/3 Kleenex Facial Tissues, 50 ct or higher or (1) bundle pack, excludes trial size from SS 8/12 (exp 9/23)
$0.80 each, when you buy 3

Walgreens

W Facial Tissue, 75, 90 or 184 sheets $0.99

Lysol Wipes, 35 ct $1.99
Use $0.50/2 – Lysol Disinfecting or Dual Action Wipes – (lysol.com)
Submit Buy Two Lysol Products, Get One Lysol Wipes Free Mail-In Rebate from SS 7/22 (exp 10/31)
$1.16 each, when you buy 3

Wexford Mechanical Pencils, 30 ct, Composition Book, 80 sheets, 1-Subject Notebook, 60 or 70 sheets, Filler Paper, 280 sheets, Gel Pens, 10 ct
Buy One Get One 50% Off

Wexford or Splash 2-Pocket Poly Portfolio $0.99

Wexford 2-Pocket Paper Folder $0.20 each when you buy 5

This is a great freebie!!  Walmart is offering a free 5×7 photo through the end of September. What a fun back-to-school freebie!  You can have your kid’s first day back to school picture on the fridge before you know it!

This offer starts today, August 15th and will run through the end of September.  This offer is good on either instant or 1-Hour 5×7 print.  There is a limit of one photo per child and it’s only available at Walmart Supercenter Stores with 1-Hour Photo Centers.  No coupon required.  See Walmart associates for details.

With the rising cost of gas, groceries, and just about everything else, people today are pinching their pennies like they never have before!  Here’s a list of 10 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Supplies.

-#1  Set a budget! This may sound like a waste of time but it is oh so important to staying on track financially throughout the year and in this instance for school shopping.

-#2 Plan ahead. Make a list of what you need before you leave home.  Don’t forget to check and see what items you can reuse from last year.  You may also want to bring bottled water and a small snack if you plan on being there a while.

-#3  Quality counts. Decide on which items you can buy cheap and which items it’s worth spending more on.  Crayons and clothes are probably worth the extra money because they will last longer.  Pencils and hair-bows will probably be the same regardless of the price.

-#4 Get your child involved. You don’t have to cave into every item that they want and you find repulsive but it’s a good idea to let them choose some.  Not only will it make the shopping experience more pleasant but they will be more likely to wear it, feel good in it, and take care of it.

-#5 Shop early for school supplies! With coupon usage on the rise you can find several manufacturers coupons for basic school supplies.  Pair them with Walmart’s earliest mark downs for the best deal.  Don’t forget office supply stores!  They have some great back-to-school bargains around the middle of summer. {We post a round up of the best deals weekly}

-#6 Buy clothing items that go with {almost} anything! I learned this trick from my great grandmother who grew up not having much.  Instead of buying a complete coordinating outfit that will  go with nothing else, opt for versatile articles that work well with each other.  This exponentially multiplies the number of potential outfits available.

-#7 Shop for off-season, clearance items.  When it is 99 degrees outside it is hard to go shopping for long-sleeve shirts and coats.   However, this is the optimum time to pick up clearance deals on these winter items as stores are practically giving them away.

-#8 Shop off-price retailers. Shopping at stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Gabriel Bro., and Rugged Wearhouse will help you get quality {and designer} clothing at affordable prices.  Discount stores may offer similar prices but the quality is different.  For instance, at a discount retailer a $20 backpack was meant to sale at that price.  At off-price retailers, a $20 backpack was made by designers to sell at $40+.

-#9 Shop online. Especially if you know your child’s size in a brand, shopping online can save you big.  Don’t forget to search our Coupon Code Database for a coupon before you check out!  Shop through Ebates to get cash back in the form of a check!

-#10 Follow Embracing Frugality! You can follow Embracing Frugality on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up for daily deal updates!

I hope these tips will help keep some extra money in your pocket this school year.  Do you have any back-to-school savings tips to share?  I would love to hear them!

If you liked this post you might also be interested in:

• 8 Ways to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes
• The Best Time to Buy Everything
• 9 Ways to Save Money on Laundry Costs

These are my FAVORITE pens!  I absolutely love them!  I was first introduced to them in college and I’ve had a weird fascination with them ever since.  They just write so smooth and never, ever give you any of the problems that other pens do.  {That’s my experience and not a guarantee!}  They come in an array of beautiful colors and right now on Amazon you can get them for a steal!

I normally pay $12.79 for a 10 pack at Staples and I’ve only recently seen them slightly lower on Amazon.  Right now they are on sale for $9.14!  That’s less than $1 a pen!  It gets even better than that when you virtually clip a $2 coupon.  These are also eligible for free Super Saver Shipping.  Here’s the scenario:

Zebra’s Sarasa Gel Retractable Pens $13.99, on sale for $9.14
Click to virtually clip the $2 coupon
Total: Only $7.14 and it’s eligible for Amazon’s Free Super Saver Shipping!

Isn’t that an amazing price?  I know that I’m sure going to be buying some!  If you’ve tried SARASA gel pens what did you think?  If not, what’s your favorite pen?

Walmart has a rollback on BIC Cristal Pens!  Right now you can get them for $0.97 and after the new BIC coupon, the price is only $0.47!  If your family has more pens than you know what to do with consider buying a pack and donating to your kid’s school, local church, or a number of local charities.

I adore Five Star products and I love Five Star coupons to go with them!

Here are some*HOT* Back to School Five Star printable coupons:

$2 off any Mead Five Star Binder including Five Star Flex Hybrid Notebook
$1 off any two Five Star Reinforced Filler Paper Products
$1 off two Five Star Products including Student Planning

Target deal scenario:

Five Star 1-Subject Notebook — $1 (thru 8/11) 
Use  $1/2 Five Star Products
Final Price: $0.50 each!

There is also a target coupon for $1.50/1 Five Star binder that you can stack with the above binder coupon for $3.50 off one making an incredible deal!

Last night I posted the best back-to-school deals for parents and now I’m excited to share a great freebie for teachers!

Clorox is offering two free Clorox Wipes Canister coupons.  Here’s how to get your two free:

• Sign up for Canisters for Classrooms.
• Put Clorox Disinfecting Wipes on your back-to-school list.
• Submit your list into the Canisters for Classrooms program.
• Look out for 2 FREE coupons, each good for one FREE Clorox Disinfecting Wipes canister, mailed to you at your school.

Homeschooling update (from our reader Heather):  Their terms and conditions show that they have removed the language that allowed homeschoolers to be considered an acceptable recipient, and now are only giving these canisters to an “accredited school.”

If you’re a parent, you can head over and print a coupon for $1/2 Clorox Wipes.  This coupon and freebie offer is only available for a limited time so hurry!

Thanks,  Moms by Heart!

Here are the BEST office & Back-t0-School deals for the week of 7/29/12!

Are back-to-school sales overwhelming you?  They can easily frazzle any mind so we’ve taken the time, searched, clipped, and worked hard to bring you the best deals available this week.  This isn’t a never ending list of sales available, we only brought you the best deals!  You don’t have to worry about finding the lowest prices because we’ve done all the work for you.  You can even print this post and take your list shopping with you.  To do so click on the green “Print Friendly” button at the end of the post.  Keep in mind that some deals vary by location so be sure to double check your local store’s ad before heading to the check out.

Office Depot

Stock up deals:

Office Depot Paper Portfolios $0.01, limit 10

Office Depot Composition Notebooks $0.25, limit 3

Office Depot Ballpoint Pens, 10 ct $0.25

Good deals:

SchoolWorks 5″ Scissors, 2 ct $1.00 

Office Depot Scissors, 8 inch $1.00

OfficeMax 

Stock up deals:

All Backpacks $0.01 after MaxPerks Bonus Rewards, limit 2 

Schoolio Watercolor Paints, limit 2
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase

Just Basics Cap Erasers, 25 ct, limit 2
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase

OfficeMax School Glue, 4 oz, limit 2
Free with Minimum $5 Purchase

Duracell Coppertop AA or AAA Batteries, 10 pk $9.99
Receive $9.98 in MaxPerks Rewards, limit 2
Use $1.00/1 Duracell CopperTop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty Batteries, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/1 (exp 7/31)
Or use $0.50/1 Duracell CopperTop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty Batteries, excludes trial/travel size limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 7/29 (exp 8/31)
Free after coupon and MaxPerks Rewards!

Avery Mailing Labels 3,000 ct $26.99
Receive $26.98 in MaxPerks Rewards, limit 2
$0.01 after MaxPerks Rewards!

OfficeMax Multipurpose Paper, 500 sheet $6.99, limit 2
Receive $5.99 in MaxPerks Rewards
$1.00 after MaxPerks Rewards

Boise X-9 8.5 x 11 Multiuse Paper, 10 Ream Case $43.99
Receive $34.00 in MaxPerks Rewards, limit 2
$9.99 after MaxPerks Rewards

Good deals:

OfficeMax Glue Sticks, 4 ct $0.50, limit 2

Schoolio Poly Binder, 1 or 1.5 inch $1.00

Staples

Stock up deals:

Bic Mechanical Pencils, 5 pk $0.25
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Products from SS 7/29 (exp 9/30)
Free!

RoseArt Crayons, 24 pk $0.50
Use $1.00/3 RoseArt Products from RP 7/29 (exp 10/7)
$0.17 each, when you buy 3

Staples Multipurpose Paper, ream $6.99
Submit for $5.99 Easy Rebate, Limit 2
$1.00

Staples Standard Paper Clips, 100 pk $0.01
With Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 2

Staples 2-Pocket Paper Folders $0.01
With Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 10  

Home Select Pocket Tissue, 10 ct $0.01
With Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 6 

Good deals:

Prang Colored Chalk, 12 pk $0.25

1″ Avery Durable Binder $1.00
With Minimum $5 Purchase, Limit 2

RoseArt Colored Pencils, 15 pk $1.00
Use $1.00/3 RoseArt Products from RP 7/29 (exp 10/7)
$0.67 each, when you buy 3

Staples Photo Supreme 8.5″ x 11″ Paper $14.99 (not shown in video)
Submit for $13.99 Easy Rebate, Limit 4
$1.00

Target

Stock up deals:

Purell Hand Sanitizer, 8 oz $2.89, regular price
Use $1.00/1 – Purell Product, 8oz or Larger
Or $1.00/1 Purell Product, 8 oz or larger from SS 7/29 (exp 10/29)
And use $1.00/1 – Purell Hand Sanitizer, 8oz, Target Coupon
$0.89

RoseArt Washable Glue Stick, 2 pk  $0.25
Use $1.00/3 RoseArt products from RP 7/29 (exp 10/7)
Free, when you buy 3!

RoseArt Crayons, 24 pk $0.25
Use $1.00/3 RoseArt products from RP 7/29 (exp 10/7)
Free, when you buy 3!

PaperMate Ballpoint Pens, 10 ct $0.94
Use $1.00/1 – Papermate Writing Instrument, One Per Guest, Target Coupon
Free!

Good deals:

RoseArt Washable Markers, 8 ct or Watercolor Paints, 16 ct $1.00
Use $1.00/3 RoseArt products from RP 7/29 (exp 10/7)
$0.67 each, when you buy 3

Walgreens

Stock up deal:

Elmer’s Washable School Glue Stick $0.10

Good deals:

Hard Handle Wexford Scissors, 5 inch $0.49
With In-Ad Coupon, Limit 2

Penway Colored Pencils, 12 ct $0.69

Walmart

Stock up deal:

Elmer’s Washable School Glue Stick $0.10

Good deal:

Bic Cristal Pens, 10 pk $0.97
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Products from SS 7/29 (exp 9/30)
Only $0.47 each when you buy 2

If you’re like me, you have already bought all your office/back-to-school supplies long ago and are finishing your Christmas shopping.  I realize that most people aren’t like me though.  According to a study conducted by Mom Central Consulting and T.J.Maxx/Marshalls, 25% of moms surveyed wait until the last minute to do their back-to-school shopping.  If you fall into that 25% I have good news for you!  Well, it’s actually good news for anyone who likes to save money.

With the rising cost of gas, groceries, and just about everything else, people today are pinching their pennies like they never have before!  That makes blogs like mine and stores like TJMaxx and Marshalls even more popular.  81% of Moms surveyed said that the rising cost of items has affected their family’s back-to-school budget this year.

Here are my top ten tips for saving money on back-to-school shopping:

-#1  Set a budget! This may sound like a waste of time but it is oh so important to staying on track financially throughout the year and in this instance for school shopping.

-#2 Plan ahead. Make a list of what you need before you leave home.  Don’t forget to check and see what items you can reuse from last year.  You may also want to bring bottled water and a small snack if you plan on being there a while.

-#3  Quality counts. Decide on which items you can buy cheap and which items it’s worth spending more on.  Crayons and clothes are probably worth the extra money because they will last longer.  Pencils and hair-bows will probably be the same regardless of the price.

-#4 Get your child involved. You don’t have to cave into every item that they want and you find repulsive but it’s a good idea to let them choose some.  Not only will it make the shopping experience more pleasant but they will be more likely to wear it, feel good in it, and take care of it.

-#5 Shop early for school supplies! With coupon usage on the rise you can find several manufacturers coupons for basic school supplies.  Pair them with Walmart’s earliest mark downs for the best deal.  Don’t forget office supply stores!  They have some great back-to-school bargains around the middle of summer.

-#6 Buy clothing items that go with {almost} anything! I learned this trick from my great grandmother who grew up not having much.  Instead of buying a complete coordinating outfit that will  go with nothing else, opt for versatile articles that work well with each other.  This exponentially multiplies the number of potential outfits available.

-#7 Shop for off-season, clearance items.  When it is 99 degrees outside it is hard to go shopping for long-sleeve shirts and coats.   However, this is the optimum time to pick up clearance deals on these winter items as stores are practically giving them away.

-#8 Shop off-price retailers. Shopping at TJ Maxx and Marshalls will help you get quality {and designer} clothing at affordable prices.  Discount stores may offer similar prices but the quality is different.  For instance, at a discount retailer a $20 backpack was meant to sale at that price.  At off-price retailers, a $20 backpack was made by designers to sell at $40+.

-#9 Shop online. Especially if you know your child’s in a brand shopping online can save you big.  Shop through Ebates or ShopAtHome to save with coupon codes and get cash back in the form of a check!

-#10 Follow Embracing Beauty! When you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or through my daily newsletter you’ll find the latest deals, sales, and coupons to help you save!

TJ Maxx/Marshalls gave me a $50 gift card to see what all bargains I could find.

The survey conducted by Mom Central Consulting and TJ Maxx/Marshalls show some interesting results.

Fashion Survey Results:

• When it comes to Moms and their kids agreeing on fashion choices, 75% say they only sometimes agree.
• Although finding a compromise on clothing choices can be a challenge, only 1% say they NEVER agree with their children.
• When asked what kind of clothing style their kids have, Moms equally say their child’s style is sporty, fashionista or classic, with each getting about 25% of the responses.
• 14% said other and 6% said geek-­‐chic
• 81% of Moms said their kids will be using a backpack to tote around their school supplies this season
• Sneakers are the most important type of new footwear during this years back-­‐to-­‐school shopping trip according to 84% of Moms.

About Marshalls:

They offer the hottest designer fashions for up to 60% off department store prices.  They have buyers traveling 40+ weeks each year to negotiate with more than 12,000 vendors in over 60 countries!  Marshalls is able to help consumer’s add this season’s designer looks straight from the source to their closets for less.  Marshalls is one of the nation’s leading off-price family apparel and home fashion retailers with over 870 stores spanning 42 states and Puerto Rico.  Marshalls not only offers brand name fashions but they also domestics for the home at prices 20-­60% less than department stores.

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate.”

This deal gets even better!  When you shop through Shop at Home today, you will receive 10% Cash Back on your Target purchase! This is an increase from the normal 3% cash back.  If you’re new to Shop at Home you will also receive $5 bonus with your first purchase!