5 Places to Buy Home Office Supplies for Less than $5 (!)

Is there anything more iconic than the classic “fall in New York” line in “You’ve Got Mail?” To jog your memory, Tom Hanks’ character says, or types rather, “Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” Sigh. What is it about school supplies that makes people feel so eager and refreshed? 

School supply shopping no doubt heralds a new chapter for everyone, whether you have kids or not, and fall of course is the universal time for all things back-to-school. If you have school-aged children, you were no doubt making sure they had all the newly sharpened pencils, binders, and notebooks they needed for school just a few weeks ago. But now that it’s October, and there’s definitely a bit more chill in the air, why not treat yourself to some new office supplies? There’s nothing like a fresh start, cracking open a new notebook, and scribbling notes with a new pen. This feeling of satisfaction doesn’t have to be reserved for students, and new office supplies don’t have to break the bank either. Read on for five places to shop when you want to give your office supplies a refresh without costing an arm and a leg. 

Dollar Tree is the crème de la crème when it comes to cheap office supplies, simply because they have just about anything you can think of at only $1.25 per item. They have a whole office and school supply section, and offer everything from notebooks to paper, binders, and folders. If you’re a fan of sticky notes, Dollar Tree has tons of different sticky pads to choose from in all sorts of sizes, colors, and shapes. They also have things like sheet protectors and divider inserts, and an impressive mailing supplies selection. Not to mention the ample amount of pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, notebooks and notepads they offer as well. If you need something — anything! — office related, you can be sure Dollar Tree has it in some capacity.

There are so many cute finds at Five Below, and the great thing about this store is everything is between $1 and $5. Five Below markets to the teen crowd, but you can still snag packs of colorful pens and highlighters for under $5. Other desk supplies like tape and pencil erasers are only a dollar, and they also have a variety of dry erase boards and markers, staplers, tape dispensers, and desk organizers. If you like to put fun tchotchkes on your desk, Five Below is also a great place for small toys and action figures, and if you love to dress up your desk or office for the holidays they carry really cheap decor, too! They’re fully stocked with Halloween finds currently, and stay on the lookout for holiday decor coming soon.

Calling all bullet journalers! Michael’s has an excellent variety of lined and dotted journals that I personally use all year round for to-do lists, notes, and DIY calendars. These journals are a little sturdier than regular notebooks, are non-spiral bound, and have little ribbons attached that can serve as place holders. The craft store offers tons of coupons, so be sure to check them out before you shop in-store or online. You can sign up for their email list and receive a 25 percent off coupon, which can come in handy if you’re stocking up or buying a bigger ticket item, like a laminator or paper trimmer from their office supply section. Since Michaels is a craft store after all, you might also check out the wide variety of colored pens, markers, and highlighters they have, especially if you’re itching for a highlighter in a hue other than yellow. 

Amazon is always running daily deals, and doing a simple search for office supplies shows that there is a lot on sale, like packs of scissors, desk organizers, and mouse pads. You’ll get the most bang for your buck if you purchase packs of writing note pads or fine-point pens, as each item will usually be around a dollar each. Amazon basics is also worth checking out — pens, highlighters, notepads and tape dispensers are available at a really reasonable price, just a little less than name brands. It’s worth noting that there are tons of desk organizers to choose from, too, and they come in different finishes from a black office organizer to rose gold. If you have a certain design aesthetic you like for your office, Amazon will surely have plenty to choose from that will fit your own personal style.

Now is the time to take advantage of some discounted school supplies at your local Target. While Target always has a school and office supply section, there may still be some straggling, now discounted, back-to-school items that are still on the shelf that haven’t been phased out yet, like pencil cases, binders and folders. But even if there aren’t any lingering back-to-school specific items left, be sure to check out Target’s brand up & up, which offers many office basics for (gasp!) less than a dollar. You can get a two-pocket plastic folder with prongs for 59 cents, a 24 count box of pencils for 99 cents, a pencil sharpener for 65 cents and index cards for 75 cents.