The end of summer is becoming more and more of a reality. As the summer winds down, it’s time for teachers to start thinking about getting ready for the new school year. Getting your classroom ready and buying supplies can be a huge burden, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 6 ways to save you money, including many free giveaways for teachers:

1. Teacher Appreciation Giveaways
Usually middle to late August, supply stores such as Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, and Walmart have special events for teachers on a designated Saturday morning where they offer free coffee, juice, breakfast snacks, and supply giveaways. In addition to coupons, you might receive free classroom supplies such as post-its, pencils or pens, paper clips, and more. Call your local office supply store and ask what date their “Teacher Appreciation” day is.

2. Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree has a great education section for teachers. Stock up on Stickers, Cut-outs, Posters, Passes, curriculum specific items, as well as any office supplies, all for $1.
But why stop at the teacher’s section? I buy wrapping paper and colored plastic tablecloths to cover my bulletin boards! Super easy background!

3. Garage Sales
Garage sales are a great place to buy items such as Board Games for as low as 50 cents to up to $2-3. Spanish teachers, specifically, can be on the look for Guess Who?, a great game to practice descriptions in Spanish. You might come across some other useful items such as organizational crates and manipulatives that you can incorporate into your classroom.

4. Party Stores
Looking for decoration ideas? Check out your local Party stores for themed decorations. Spanish teachers, specifically, can find Mexican-related decorum in the “Fiesta” section. Yes, some are very stereotypical, but if want to spice up your classroom walls, I suggest the Mariachi scene setter.

5. Target Dollar Bins
Who doesn’t love shopping at Target? During back to school shopping, don’t forget to take a look in the Dollar Bins at the front of the store. Many great incentives for students, such as stickers, pencils, erasers, as well as other items for teachers are a great find, and a great deal!

6. Teacher Created Resources
If you are a new teacher, or are just looking for new ideas to make that boring lesson more engaging, check out thousands of teacher-created lesson plans and resources available online. TeachersPayTeachers is a great network where teachers can buy and sell their work. You will be saving so much in comparison to buying through teaching catalogs. Besides, many teachers offer sales this time of year as well, and the site itself is hosting a back-to-school sale starting August 1, with 10% off your purchases. Combine that with the discounts that many sellers offer, and you could save up to 30%! If you are looking for Spanish resources, check out our catalog, and if you don’t have a free account at TpT yet, be sure to sign up now. You will also find thousands of FREE items on this site to download as well. Who doesn’t love free?

Don’t forget to check the local advertisements from your newspaper too. See which stores are offering sales. Don’t forget to carry your Teacher ID with you, as many stores will allow you to buy more than the limit on these sales! Good luck shopping!