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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
Because the beginning of school year doesn't need to break the bank.
Promising review: "Crayons is a trusted name for quality art projects for children. These pencils were a bargain. True clean colors. No iffy pinks instead of reds. Great price. Would buy again."—fattymoko
Get a pack of 24 (12 count each) from Amazon for $39.96.
Twinkle Label is a small biz based in Los Angeles founded by a mother of one, who became obsessed with making sure all of her daughter’s belongings were labeled after her daughter entered preschool, but didn’t like the quality of many of the labels she used.
To personalize the labels, choose one font and place the order in your cart. At check out in the "note to seller" box, please write the name you want. Please write one word.
Promising review: "I really like these labels so far. Since the kids won't be sharing school supplies this year and need everything labeled. These labels are great since you get so many. All the others I looked at were so much more expensive."—terribeth07
Get a pack of 240 from Twinkle Label on Etsy for $9.99.
Promising review: "This is a great value for the money. I'm a teacher and I purchase this set for my class twice a year. It's great as a first day of school ice breaker and later on as a Christmas gift. There are enough cans so every child can have a choice and the extra cans go into the prize box. My students love it! This Play Doh is a nice size that gives kids just enough dough to make special creations. It leads to plenty of creative playtime fun! Teachers can make it more educational by allowing the children to create and then write about their creations. My second grade students never complain about creating, writing, and sharing when we use Play Doh."—CidyLouWho
Get a pack of 36 from Amazon for $24.99.
Promising review: "I bought these for my son for school. The value is amazing considering how many come in the pack! My son loves these socks and they have held up."—MaKayla Woodard
Get a pack of 15 from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in sizes 12 Months–15 years and in eight color combos).
Promising review: "I bought a box of these for my kids for school after every store locally ran out of school supplies. I was very happy when I saw the heavier stock than what you get in the 'back-to-school specials bin.' Not only are they cheaper to buy this way, but they seem durable enough that they may actually make it through a full school year."—AC2MO
Promising review: "Excellent price and savings! I bought three boxes of these for my home office, for my high school daughter and for my work office. These folders are very good quality and the colors are bright and vibrant. They are very durable. This was an excellent buy!"—Seashelly1
Get a pack of 25 from Amazon for $9.90.
Promising review: "Been buying these boxes of pencils for the past year or so. We are now on our third box (yeah, that's what happens when our teen boys fail to put their pencils back in their backpack or pencil bag in their binder! Really, it's not hard, but they have yet to reach this developmental milestone). Thus, I love buying Amazon's bulk pencils. So glad these now come pre-sharpened! That little meaningful improvement cuts 30 seconds of pencil sharpening stress as we are trying to run out the door in the morning and someone realizes they don't have any pencils on hand. I put a bunch of these pre-sharpened beauties in a large clear mason jar, near where they store their backpacks. No excuses for being without a writing utensil! These are high quality pencils and an excellent value. Way to go, Amazon, for keeping our whole family stocked with quality school supplies like these pencils."—E. Huinda
Get a pack of 150 from Amazon for $12.49.
Promising review: "These are a great value for your money, I was looking for something affordable AND durable that I could send with my kids to school, since they lose water bottles left and right (at $10–$20 a pop that adds up with three kids) and I have gotten so tired of cleaning out the plastic straws that come with most bottles, these solve that issue, they do have a smaller opening on the lid but since I bought these for my younger girls school backpacks I don't mind, I was also delighted to discover they are safe to put in the dishwasher."—naluheart
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $13.99.
Promising review: "Great value! I bought this 52-pack instead of buying smaller packs for school supplies. My kids then picked out how many they needed for the school year. I have enough markers for next year too. (Hoping they don’t dry out) These were much cheaper than the brand-name markers!"—S. Benson
Promising review: "Ever since I found these, they have been the only whiteboard marker I trust in my classroom. They last longer than an Expo marker for less cost. Additionally, this pack has such a great selection of colors that it is easy to write notes, graph, or do data with my students. LOVE LOVE LOVE."—TJ
Get a pack of 52 from Amazon for $27.99.
Promising review: "THESE ARE MY FAVORITE MARKERS EVER!!! I am a college student and color coating is how I live my life. These markers are SO expensive in the stores, for example at Walmart they were $32.99 and at Staples they are $39.99 so finding these on Amazon for only $20 was a STEAL! These markers last forever, depending on how much you use them. I use mine every day and they last me over six months. They are not too big and not too fine. Also, the best part is that they do not bleed through the pages!!! Unless you underline things or go over things multiple times then yes its obviously going to bleed through but if you are just writing normal it will not bleed through like a sharpie will. I am so pumped to use these markers this semester."—Amazon Customer
Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $20.02.
Promising review: "Great price for a bundle. Really cute colors! Bought them for back-to-school for my niece entering seventh grade. Now she has a notebook for each subject, with a spare, which she donated to her class. Would buy again."—Kindle Customer
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $13.73.
Promising review: "Bought this for my children's teachers. Split one box between each kid and found it way cheaper than the $4 pack of three skinny ones from local stores. It also helps the teacher out by donating to a child whose parents may not be able to get the basic resources for them. Also because the marker is thick and round I believe it helps young kids grasp better."—Dustin F.
Get a pack of 36 from Amazon for $13.46.
Promising review: "Loved the price. We couldn't beat the price when we were comparing school supplies to Walmart. When you're shopping for four kids (5th, 5th, 7th & 10th) cost of items is very important for our family!"—C. Miller
Promising review: "I have bought literally hundreds of these erasers for school supply donations. They’re huge and the price is the best out there. Trust me. I’ve searched. Thanks Amazon."—M~
Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $5.47.
Promising review: "When you find comfortable underwear for your kids, it's awesome to be able to buy a large amount! This brand and style were perfect for my daughter, and I wanted to make sure that she was comfortable each day at school. I will continue to buy these as she grows!"—Sarah K. Dolan
Get a pack of 20 from Amazon for $17.98.