Let me tell you about August 2019.

I walked into Walmart with a list, a coupon app I barely knew how to use, and entirely too much optimism. I walked out $340 lighter, arms full of things I was absolutely convinced I needed. Gel pens in seventeen colors. Three different kinds of sticky notes. A fancy new pencil organizer that I thought would finally, FINALLY, bring order to my desk.

By October, half of it was gone, broken, or buried under a pile of student work I hadn't graded yet.

Pero here we are, still doing it every year. Because we love our kids and we want our classrooms to feel welcoming and ready. I get it. I really do.

So let me save you from yourself. This is the back to school shopping guide I wish someone had handed me in 2002 when I was a bright-eyed first-year teacher who thought she could build a Pinterest classroom on a substitute teacher's budget.

First, Wait Two Weeks Into School Before You Buy Anything "Extra"

This is the single most important thing I can tell you.

We walk into a new school year with ideas in our heads. We imagine the learning stations, the cozy reading corner, the beautifully organized math manipulatives. And then actual children show up, and reality adjusts our vision pretty quickly.

I learned to wait until I know my actual students before I spend a dime beyond the basics. Last year I had a class where half my kids needed fidget tools and sensory breaks. The year before that, my big challenge was keeping track of pencils. These are not problems you can predict in July.

Buy your absolute essentials in late July when the sales are hot. Then pause. Let the first two weeks of school show you what your classroom actually needs.

The Non-Negotiables (And Where to Get Them Cheap)

Okay, so what ARE the essentials? After 22 years, here is my honest list.

Pencils, pencils, and more pencils. I buy the big bulk packs at Costco or Sam's Club. Not the fancy ones. The plain yellow ones that I do not feel bad about when they disappear, which they will. They always will.

Dry erase markers. Get the thin ones AND the thick ones. Buy more than you think you need. This is not a place to be frugal.

Composition notebooks. Not the spiral ones. Composition notebooks survive fourth graders. Spiral notebooks do not. Florida back to school sales usually have these for 50 cents around late July and early August, so stock up then.

Sticky notes in one or two sizes. Not seventeen colors. I know. I know. But you only need one or two sizes and honestly the neon ones are fine.

A good pair of scissors that you hide from students. This is for you. Protect them with your life.

Where Florida Teachers Should Actually Be Shopping

Let me be specific here because we have options that not everyone knows about.

Dollar Tree has genuinely gotten better. I know some teachers turn their noses up at it, but my Dollar Tree in Tampa has composition notebooks, folders, and basic school supplies that hold up fine for classroom use. I spend about $30 there every August and it goes a long way.

Target's Dollar Spot (the Bullseye Playground) in late July is where I have found some genuinely useful stuff. Mini whiteboards, activity cards, organizational bins. The key is going early in the season because it gets picked over fast.

Amazon Subscribe and Save for things I use constantly, like copy paper, hand sanitizer, and Clorox wipes. Set it and forget it. It shows up at my door and Carlos looks at the boxes like, "Mija, again?" Yes, Carlos. Again.

Donors Choose deserves its own section, which I will get to in a moment.

Your school's supply room. I am serious. Go look. Talk to your custodian. Talk to your bookkeeper. There are often supplies sitting in storage that teachers don't know about. I found an entire box of composition notebooks in our supply closet last September that had been sitting there for two years.

The DonorsChoose Strategy (Please Use This)

If you are not using DonorsChoose, I am begging you to start.

I have funded a classroom library, math manipulatives, and a set of headphones through DonorsChoose over the years. It takes time to write a good project, but it is worth it.

My tips for getting funded faster. Write your project in late summer or early fall when donors are in a giving mood. Be specific and personal in your description. Tell the story of your actual students (without identifying them, obviously). Mention that you teach at a Title I school if you do, because donors respond to that context.

Also, follow DonorsChoose on social media because they regularly post about matching campaigns and special funding opportunities. I have had projects fully funded within 48 hours because I posted during a matching event.

What to Skip (Learned the Hard Way)

Ay, this list is long. But let me give you the greatest hits.

Fancy organizational systems you saw on Instagram. I spent real money on a beautiful teacher planner one year. I used it for three weeks and went back to my notebook. Know yourself.

Laminating everything in sight. I have a laminator. I use it selectively now. Laminating takes time, and time is our most precious resource. Ask yourself if something truly needs to be laminated or if you're just in a crafty mood.

Reward prizes and treasure box items. I know, I know. But hear me out. Before you spend $50 filling a treasure box, think about whether that system is actually going to work for your specific group of kids. Some years it's great. Some years it creates more problems than it solves. Wait and see who walks through your door first.

Multiple sets of the same thing in different colors. I am talking to my 2019 self here. You do not need red, blue, green, AND purple versions of the same supply. Pick one. Move on.

The Tax-Free Weekend Is Real, Use It

Florida's back to school tax-free weekend is usually in late July or early August, and it covers school supplies, clothing, and some electronics. Check the Florida Department of Revenue website for the exact dates each year because they do move around.

I plan my big shopping trip around this weekend. It does not sound like much, but when you are spending a couple hundred dollars, the sales tax savings add up. Every dollar counts when we are spending our own money on our classrooms.

A Note on Spending Our Own Money

I want to say something real here before I wrap up.

We should not have to do this. We should not be spending hundreds of dollars of our own money to create functional learning environments for our students. It is not right, and it is not fair, and I say that as someone who has been doing it for 22 years and will probably do it for 22 more.

But since we are going to do it anyway, because that is who we are, let us at least do it smart. Let us share lists, share strategies, and share the good sales with each other. Let us use every free resource available to us. And let us stop feeling guilty about not spending MORE.

You are already giving these kids so much. A fancy pencil organizer does not change that.

Your Action Step for This Week

Before you go shopping, sit down and write two lists. The first list is your absolute must-haves, the things your classroom cannot function without. The second list is your wish list, the things that would be nice but are not urgent.

Shop the first list now while the sales are good. Sit on the second list until you meet your students.

And if you find a great deal on composition notebooks, please, for the love of all things good, come find the rest of us and tell us where you got them.

We are all in this together, mija.