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save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers

home / family life / save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers
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Back-to-school season isnโ€™t just for students, my friends.

As thousands of schools have been opening their doors, teachers have been working tirelessly setting up classrooms, preparing lesson plans and printing materials for their students.

save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers

 

In a school spending survey, almost 80% of teachers say they use their own money on material supplies in what amounts to a $1 billion annual spend for their classrooms.

That is a LOT of money. And many teachers donโ€™t have the extra to spend.

As a former high school teacher whose sister is a pre-K teacher, whose in-laws are former educators, and whose husband is an elementary school principal, I can absolutely empathize.

I remember vividly the days of saving pennies for classroom supplies and begging the PTA for reimbursement. It wasnโ€™t easy.

With that amount of money spent on back-to-school prep, itโ€™s no wonder educators are constantly searching for tips on cutting back.

Several of my teacher friends with more than 60 years of combined classroom experience shared seven money and time-saving tips for this school year.

Whether you are a classroom teacher or a supportive parent, knowing these tips is hugely helpful. Keep this information in your back pocket. Share it. Use it to drive your support for school fundraisers or classroom gifts.

Hereโ€™s the skinny. . .

Save Money and Time this School Year: 7 Classroom Hacks for Teachers

1.ย ย ย ย  Preserve materials youโ€™ll use multiple times.

Shannon Lisowe, from Speechy Musings, laminates useful visuals, pages, and books and stores them in a binder to make it easy to grab and go from year to year. โ€œItโ€™s a little more cost and time upfront, but it will absolutely save you in the long run!โ€

2.ย ย ย ย  Reduce printing costs with a subscription service.

Many teachers have printers in their classrooms but very little budget to print.ย  Between activities for lessons or centers, many teachers end up printing up to 300+ pages per month.

HPโ€™s Instant Ink program allows subscribers to save time and money by delivering ink cartridges at a fraction of the cost of store-bought ink, right to your door. This program offers a month-to-month subscription and you can cancel anytime. Plans start as low as $2.99/month which can save teachers TONS of money on ink. I mean tons.

โ€œI do not feel guilty about printing games and activities for my students because I am not having to spend a fortune out of my own pocket!โ€ Chandra Dills, from Teaching with Crayons and Curls.

save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers | teachmama.com

Photo Credit: TeachingWithCrayonsAndCurls.com

I use HP Instant Ink for my home, and Iโ€™d be lost without it. I love it. With three kids in 7th, 5th, and 4th grades, my kids already do a lot of printing. HP Instant Ink takes one thing off of my list of things to remember. Your compatible HP printer communicates low ink levels to HP, so ink is delivered to your door before you run out.

โ€œMy favorite thing about HP Instant Ink is the fact that not only is the ink inexpensive, but it is shipped to your door so you never have to leave your house!โ€ –ย Lauren Shirk, a K-3 Reading Intervention teacher from A Teachable Teacher.

There are so many perks packaged into the HP Instant Ink program that extend beyond ease and convenience. For example, Jennifer Kadar, from SimplyKinder, has referred enough friends to receive free ink until 2020! โ€œIt’s effortless.โ€ With the HP Instant Ink Refer-a-Friend program, you and the friend you refer receive a free month of ink. The best part is the amounts of referrals are unlimited! โ€œThe HP Instant Ink program is made for teachers. Period.โ€

save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers | teachmama.com

Photo Credit: SimplyKinder.com

HP Instant Ink also offers great options for teachers who are tired of only printing in black and white to save on costs. Kristin Oldham, from A Teeny Tiny Teacher, loves the aspect of being able to print in color too, for the same price. โ€œI love how I donโ€™t have to prioritize what I will print in color or what I will print from home vs. school.โ€

You can learn more about HP Instant Ink by visiting www.hpinstantink.com.

3.ย ย ย ย  Organize your space.

Vanessa Levin, from Pre-K Pages, recommends a well-organized and fully functional classroom environment where materials necessary for teaching and learning are easily accessible to both teachers and students. โ€œClear the clutter. If it hasnโ€™t been used in one year, toss it. Lighten the load to make more time for teaching and learning.โ€

4.ย ย ย ย  Be a smart shopper.

Getting ready for back to school is costly. Cut back on costs by visiting local thrift shops. โ€œYou’ll be amazed at how many goodies you can find for little to nothing for your classrooms.โ€ Traci Bender, special education teacher for grades 3-5 from The Bender Bunch.

5.ย ย ย ย  Stock up during back-to-school sale events.

Buy as many 1-cent composition books and packs of paper as possible, and ask friends and neighbors to buy them, too. Many states offer tax-free weekends for school supplies. Kallie Lerchbacker, who is going into her third year of teaching says, โ€œDonโ€™t buy everything all at once. Itโ€™s okay to have a classroom that is not decorated like a Pinterest classroom. Also, itโ€™s good to make/print your own centers because the stations from the teacher stores are very expensive.โ€

6.ย ย ย ย  Hone your parent-teacher presentation.

Teachers like Vanessa Levin from Pre-K Pages, admit that parent-teacher nights can be nerve-wracking. Calm your nerves by planning and anticipating parentsโ€™ questions. Vanessa suggests creating a parent handbook to arm yourself with the answers they are looking for. This way you will appear confident and knowledgeable and parents will be at ease knowing their child is in good hand

7.ย ย ย ย  Ask for donations.

You might be surprised to learn how many of your studentsโ€™ families have extras around the house that you can use in the classroom. Make a list at the beginning of the school year with everything you might need: tissues, hand sanitizer, crayons, glue, etc. and send it home with each student. Even indoor recess activities can be supplied via donations if families have extra puzzles or games sitting around.

What do you think? How do you support your childโ€™s teacher, or if you are a teacher, how do you save money in the classroom?

Curious about HP Instant Ink? You should be!

To receive one free month of ink, sign up using this link: HP INSTANT INK refer-a-friend. Once you try it, share the link, friends! For every person who signs up, the friend and I each get a month of free ink. It’s a win-win!

save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers

Sign up! Share your link! It’s all about not worrying about ink!

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”-

GIVEAWAY:

save money and time this school year: 7 classroom hacks for teachers

WIN a brand new HP Deskjet 3700 —ย www.hp.com/go/deskjet3700.

Do you want to win your very own HP Deskjet 3700??ย !?ย ??!ย ย Yes, yes you do.

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Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to throw your name in the hat:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By entering this giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with theย Official Sweepstakes Rules.

This giveaway ends Saturday, October 15, 2016 at midnight ET and is open to folks here in the US only.ย Winner will be chosen by โ€˜Rafflecopterโ€™ and will be notified on or around 10/15/16.ย  Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.ย  Allย ย Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.

fyi: This post was written as part of my partnership with Hewlett-Packard and MyPrintly.com. As a MyPrintly Ambassador, I get a chance to try out a bunch of cool, new HP products and services. HP Instant Ink is one of them. As always, though, opinions and ideas are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.

also: Some of the links in the post above are โ€œrefer-a-friend links.โ€ This means if you click on the link and sign up for HP Instant Ink, you will get a free month of ink and I will get a free month of ink. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionโ€™s 16 CFR, Part 255: โ€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.โ€ ย For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.ย 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post: « teachmama fab finds: a must-read for every parent -- (really, it's a life-changer) | teachmama.com teachmama fab finds: a must-read for every parent — (really, it’s a life-changer)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kelly Brown

    September 13, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    I desperately need this printer for my classroom!

    Reply
  2. Liza @ Views From the 'Ville

    September 18, 2016 at 11:41 am

    My stepdaughter could use this. ๐Ÿ™‚ She’s a 3rd year teacher (starting her 1st year at a new school this year) and it would come in handy for class stuff, I’m sure.

    Reply
  3. Elle

    September 18, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    My whole family could use this printer. I’d love to own one.

    Reply
  4. Steve Weber

    September 18, 2016 at 11:38 pm

    My girlfriend needs this for her work.. her printer is on it’s last leg.

    Reply
  5. Will G

    September 19, 2016 at 6:38 am

    I actually need it, my printer has been acting up a lot lately.

    Reply
  6. Rachel

    September 19, 2016 at 11:06 am

    I could actually really use this. My printer stopped working a few weeks ago.

    Reply
  7. maryann

    September 19, 2016 at 1:20 pm

    my mom really needs it. she is always borrowing my printer.

    Reply
  8. Lauren

    September 19, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    I need this printer!

    Reply
  9. Mary Cloud

    September 19, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    My son and daughter could use it for homework

    Reply
  10. GB

    September 20, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    I could really use this printer!

    Reply
  11. Kelly D

    September 20, 2016 at 9:28 pm

    My son needs the HP DeskJet 3700.

    Reply
  12. sarah s

    September 20, 2016 at 11:42 pm

    My sister and I could really use a new printer.

    Reply
  13. Amanda Tempel

    September 21, 2016 at 3:37 am

    My entire household could use this printer! We just started couponing to start saving extra money, but it’s harder with an old printer, that seems to eat ink!

    Reply
  14. Michaela Kay

    September 21, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    My family needs this printer. I could use it for printing coupons. My college freshman and high school freshman will use it all the time for school work, too.

    Reply
  15. courtney b

    September 22, 2016 at 12:55 am

    I need this !:)

    help! I really want one.. thanks!

    Reply
  16. Kathy Tracey

    September 22, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    My son is in need of a printer.He hasn’t had one for years.

    Reply
  17. Danny Rubio

    September 23, 2016 at 2:04 am

    My daughter (for school) and I (disability) and for photo’s….

    Thank you…

    Color doesn’t make who you are…..

    Reply
  18. Jeanna

    September 23, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    We need a new printer! My son is in 6th grade now and does most of his schoolwork and projects on the computer and needs a printer!

    Reply
  19. amy pugmire

    September 23, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    I could really use it!

    Reply
  20. Stefanie G

    September 23, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    my mom needs a printer, she’s had the same one for 10 yrs now!

    Reply
  21. Thomas Murphy

    September 24, 2016 at 1:42 am

    I need this!

    Reply
  22. Lauren Becker

    September 24, 2016 at 10:46 am

    I do this! This would be great for keeping track of things for my blog and just life in general. Plus my current printer doesn’t work.

    Reply
  23. Starla

    September 24, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    This is so awesome- what an awesome machine! I need this because my sweet Nana passed in May and I have several things I want to do!

    Reply
  24. Lisa A

    September 24, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    My household has four students – two college, one high school, and one middle school, so we could really use a new printer. Ours has been with us since the eldest was in middle school.

    Reply
  25. Angelica Dimeo

    September 24, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    I need this I don’t have a printer

    Reply
  26. Elizabeth S

    September 24, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    Everyone. I’m not even joking, my grandparent’s printer broke, our printer broke…

    Reply
  27. Kristen

    September 24, 2016 at 11:28 pm

    I need one!

    Reply
  28. Sonya Morris

    September 25, 2016 at 12:52 am

    I would love to have this!

    Reply
  29. Sara Zielinski

    September 25, 2016 at 3:16 pm

    I think my cousins would like this printer.

    Reply
  30. Cheryl Everitt

    September 25, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    My granddaughter could use this computer

    Reply
  31. allyson tice

    September 25, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    I need this in my life! with 3 kids in school and one in college this is needed so badly! we have a old printer that is SO slow!!! this would be awesome!

    Reply
  32. Kimberly G

    September 26, 2016 at 7:30 am

    I need a new printer since i HAVE MOVED.

    Reply
  33. Sara Theissen

    September 26, 2016 at 8:27 am

    I could really use this myself! I haven’t had a printer in well over a year.

    Reply
  34. Randi S

    September 26, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    Me!! My printer broke and we don’t have the extra for a new one!

    Reply
  35. Edye

    September 26, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    I need one. I’m a full time online student.

    Reply
  36. carol clark

    September 26, 2016 at 11:00 pm

    my daughter who just went off to college sure could use a printer

    Reply
  37. Jenn H

    September 27, 2016 at 10:02 am

    We do! finding printables and such for homeschooling, our printer has decided to bite the dust!

    Reply
  38. Abigail

    September 28, 2016 at 8:11 am

    We need one at my house!! We’ve been shamelessly sending things over to my neighbor to print for months!

    Reply
  39. Samantha Daleo

    September 28, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    My family! My husband, myself and our daughter all share the printer and the one we have is currently very old. We are hard pressed to even find ink for it anymore. As much as we use it and as much as its hanging in my a thread, a new printer would be amazing.

    Reply
  40. Evie B.

    September 29, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    I can use it. My husband can use it. my kids can use it. we can all use it.

    Reply
  41. Katie Bellamy

    September 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm

    I need this! I have to print out so much stuff for school!

    Reply
  42. T

    September 30, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    I need this as my current printer does not work at all anymore ๐Ÿ™

    Reply
  43. Kenya F

    September 30, 2016 at 10:51 pm

    Just in time! My printer been acting crazy for the last 2 months and been thinking about getting a new one. It would go perfectly on my mini office I’m setting up.

    Reply
  44. sheila ressel

    October 2, 2016 at 9:16 am

    I definitely need a new printer. The one I have is the pits.

    Reply
  45. Aadel

    October 2, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    I need this printer for my classroom! I’m a brand new teacher and i have been slowly gathering supplies.

    Reply
  46. natasha lamoreux

    October 2, 2016 at 5:34 pm

    I need to win this for my husbands office.

    Reply
  47. Jason

    October 3, 2016 at 1:34 am

    My nephew could use this for his school work.

    Reply
  48. mysweetiepiepie

    October 3, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    I need this all-in-one printer because my current printer doesn’t really work very well…

    Reply
  49. Tabathia B

    October 4, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    My daughter needs one for school projects

    Reply
  50. Stephanie Phelps

    October 6, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    I need this in my life because my desk does not let me have a regular size and this one is so cool!

    Reply
  51. Robyn Matus

    October 7, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    Hi Amy,

    Just stumbled upon this post recently. You shared some helpful tips for starting and keeping the new school year rolling smoothly. I especially liked the one about subscription printing service.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  52. Laura Bowe

    October 7, 2016 at 8:51 pm

    My husband needs this printer because he works from home and uses our old one a lot and with another printer we wouldn’t have to share.

    Reply
  53. Corey Olomon

    October 8, 2016 at 1:59 am

    My son needs it for his homework.

    Reply
  54. Patricia Wojnar Crowley

    October 8, 2016 at 10:24 am

    My nieces and nephews could use this for school!

    Reply
  55. Sarah Hall

    October 8, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    I could really use this myself.

    Reply
  56. Greta blau

    October 10, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    These are great tips!!

    Reply
  57. Jamie Williams

    October 11, 2016 at 5:06 am

    I could really use this. Without a printer I’m constantly at a copy shop or the library. I love its look and size too!

    Reply
  58. Tina W

    October 13, 2016 at 3:12 am

    My mother in law could use this, she currently calls me anytime she has to print something.

    Reply
  59. Sarah Mayer

    October 14, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    My son needs this printer for all his college projects and papers.

    Reply

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