Replace Frequently Used Crayons

Since it's Back To School time, there are office staples available for insanely low prices. A few years ago, I supervised a daycare and this time of year, I would stock up on as much as I could afford for the next year - scissors, glue sticks, and especially crayons are so cheap right now. I would buy 3 or 4 big boxes (like 64 and up) and a case of 24 count crayons.

When we ran low in our crayon containers, the big boxes would provide the unusual colors, but the basics (red, blue, black pink, green, etc.) would get used more often. I would throw in a 24 count for the quickly used colors more often than the 64 count. This is a good tip for church meetinghouse libraries as well.

I stock up at home too. I have a shelf dedicated to office storage, so when my kids need a new notebook or some other school supply during the school year, I already have it on hand. I buy Crayola brand crayons. I know they are more expensive, but here's the reason why. The cheaper crayons leave tiny specks of wax, kind of like what is left over when you use an eraser. The wax specks are a pain in the neck to clean up! But Crayola wax stays on the paper instead of making a smeary mess to clean.

By Marie from Idaho Falls, ID