50 Homeschool Supplies You Can Get for One Dollar

Homeschooling on a limited budget can be a tricky thing. Sure, the library and the internet are both great free resources, but it’s impossible to homeschool without a cache of supplies at your disposal. As a family of 12 living on one income, we usually only do any major school supply shopping twice a year, so the local dollar store has become our go-to place for those times we need to stock up but don’t have hundreds of dollars to do it.

Before I share with you the frugal deals we find there, I’m going to be honest and point out that there are some supplies that you should stay away from there because the quality just isn’t what it should be. There aren’t many, but I’m hoping to save you the trouble of purchasing these items there and regretting it later.  

3 Homeschool Supplies not to Get at the Dollar Store

–Crayons- Dollar store crayons tend to be very waxy and break very easily

–Pencil Sharpeners- Don’t waste your time; they don’t work.

–Lead Pencils– The tips break off too easily, and they run out after about one hour.

 

50  Homeschool Supplies You Should Definitely Get at the Dollar Store

–Pencils- Some people don’t like them, but they’re good enough when you’re in a bind.

–Gel Pens

–Foam Crafts

–Foam stickers

–Foam sheets– Can you tell we love to work with foam?

–Glue

–Glue sticks

–Scotch tape

–Masking tape

–Duct tape

–Magnetic tape

–Whiteboard markers

–Mini whiteboards

–Stickers

–Pencil pouches

–Play dough

–Modeling clay

–Finger paint

–Washable paint

–Paint brushes

–Poster boards

–Markers– We prefer the permanent markers, but we’ve used others with no problems.

–Pens

–Notebook paper

–Journals

–File folders– We use these all the time for lapbooks.

–Subject dividers

–Butcher paper– We use this for murals and other art projects.

–Paper clips

–Thumb tacks

–Cotton balls– These are great for making snow, clouds, and fur.

–Paper lunch bags– Puppets, anyone?

–Googly eyes

–Dice

–Flash cards

–Workbooks

–Coloring books

–Puzzle books

–Puzzles

–Picture books

–Paper plates- These are great for making clocks and all sorts of crafts.

–Drawing paper

–Construction paper

–Decorative printer paper

–3-ring binders

–Colored pencils

–Playing cards

–Balloons

–Storage bins

–Index cards

 

The supplies that made this list are all things that we have bought from the dollar store, used, and found to be worth the trip. What supplies do you get for $1?