Money Saving Tips & Tricks for Teachers

I am linking up with the Weekend Warriors ladies for this month's hot topic: Money Saving Tips & Tricks for Teachers. As teachers, we spend WAY too much of our own money in our classrooms. And now that Back To School is JUST around the corner, the spending frenzy is about to go into full effect. I am going to share a few tips and tricks I have found to be useful for me in my classroom. 

DIY Library Sticks

Make classroom library sticks for each student with paint sticks from your local DIY store.

Materials needed:

-Wooden paint sticks (free at most home improvement stores)

-Spray paint of your color choice

-Decorative duck tape 

-Empty oatmeal container

-ribbon

-numbered circles

My dad drilled holes at one end of each paint stick for me. They I spray painted the sticks on both sides and sealed them with acrylic paint to give them some shine. While they were drying, I used the duck tape to decorate the empty oatmeal container. I also created and laminated the numbered circles (which can be found in my TPT store).  Then I hole punched each one at the top and tied it with ribbon to each stick. Ta-dah.....classroom library sticks to help my students stay organized!

Bulk Up & Team Up

Whenever I need supplies for my classroom, I team up with 1 or 2 other teachers who may need the same items and split the cost. When you buy in bulk the price per unit goes down. So, you spend less money up front and you benefit from the lower prices.