Where to Get Inexpensive or Free Supplies

I usually try to avoid chains like Staples and OfficeMax. Yes, they have great back-to-school deals, but they’re a madhouse at this time of year, and the bargains often come with fine print, ex: Staples recently had a 1¢ spiral notebook sale, but you had to spend at least $5 to get it.

Your local 99-cent store is the way to go for supplies. The Ditmas Park Blog just ran a post last week comparing prices for those ubiquitous Composition Notebooks at various places, including big chains, in Brooklyn. Cortelyou Discount and the S & S 99¢ Store were both selling them for under a buck. No, you won't find super high-end supplies at these spots, but their pencils, pens and papers will do the trick.

If you're looking for free items, many charitable organizations sponsor back-to-school supply giveaways at this time of year. Below is a list of upcoming events. Arrive early: We suspect that supplies run out quickly.

Back 2 School Giveaway – East Harlem
Cross Country Pharmacy
1514 Madison Avenue at 103rd Street
Friday, September 2 at 4pm

The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center – Washington Heights
3940 Broadway at 165th Street
Friday, September 2 at 4pm

Seventh Annual Back 2 School Block Party & School Supply Giveaway – Jamaica
Saturday, September 3 at 10am
145-20 Ferndale Avenue between Liverpool and Inwood Streets

Harvest Fest 2011 – East Flatbush
Paerdegat Park between Farragut Road and Albany Avenue
Saturday, September 10 at noon

Back to School Drive – the Bronx
The Richard R. Green Campus
3710 Barnes Avenue between 216th and 217th Streets
Saturday, September 17 at noon

The following fests were supposed to take place last weekend, but were presumably canceled due to Hurricane Irene. We’ll update this post with the new dates once they become available.

Back-to-School Fest – Washington Heights
United Palace Cathedral
4140 Broadway at 175th Street
Was supposed to be Saturday, August 27. New date to be determined.

School Supplies Giveaway – Staten Island
First Central Baptist Church
117 Wright Street near Van Duzer Street
Was supposed to be Sunday, August 28. New date to be determined.

Health Wellness and Back to School Event – Queens
The Arms of Love Outreach Inc. and Merrick Park Baptist Church
120-02 Marsden Street at 120th Avenue
Was supposed to be Saturday, August 27. New date to be determined.


Where to Buy Inexpensive Clothes

Although there are lots of swanky independent children’s boutiques with pretty but pricey duds, these days most New York City families I know do the bulk of their shopping at retail chains. (And to think when I was growing up, we just had Alexander's in the city.) T.J. Maxx, H&M, Old Navy, Target, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory, Century 21 (which is opening up its new Lincoln Center location on September 22), the list goes on. Each chain’s offerings are unique: Some carry their own lines while others offer brand-names at a discount, and every one has a different vibe and style.

My family has three favorite chain stores: The Children’s Place, Kmart and Daffy’s.

In terms of bang for your buck, no store beats The Children’s Place. The clothes are consistently cute and well made, and there seem to be sales every other week. I love how each collection is designed for lots of mixing and matching. My daughter’s rough on clothes, but her Children’s Place outfits always hold up, and she loves the cute accessories (although if she brings one more sparkly headband into our house, I may scream). The Children’s Place recently gave me $100 to spend on its fall collection, and I left with two skirts, two sets of tights, two pairs of shoes, two tops and one Halloween costume. We’re giving away a $25 Children’s Place gift card to one lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment on our Facebook page saying what you'd spend the money on. We'll announce the winner on Facebook on Tuesday, September 6. Update: We have chosen a winner: Nancy Aybar Cruz.

Although I know lots of people who shop at Kmart, none of them buy kids’ clothes there. Kmart actually has some really adorable stuff, especially for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Admittedly, it’s heavy on the children’s characters: When my daughter was younger, we got all of her Elmo, Dora and Ariel outfits here, and a lot of the tween items are emblazoned with iCarly and High School Musical. But not everything is Disney-fied. The best thing about buying at Kmart: Your kid will probably be the only one wearing the outfit. (Can’t say the same thing for The Children’s Place.) I always get compliments on my daughter’s Kmart clothes and everyone wants to know where I got them. Plus, the chain has a great selection of backpacks.

I could spend hours in Daffy’s, and that’s a good thing, since you really need to go through racks of clothes to find the good stuff. Like Century 21, Daffy’s sells designer labels at a discount. Granted, not all of the items are that swanky, and the markdown aren't always that great. But if you put in the time, you’ll find some amazing deals. I happen to love the funky clothes made by Beetlejuice, a company based out of London. In boutiques, the dresses go for about $80 but I’ve bought them for as little as $10 at Daffy’s.

I also sometimes hit random stores in East Harlem (Third Avenue is dotted with inexpensive clothing spots) or the South Bronx (around 149th Street and Third Avenue) if I’m looking for something quick and cheap. I’ve spent my share of money at places like Rainbow, Conway and stores I don’t even remember the names of. I'm no label queen: If my daughter likes it, I'll buy it.

Resale shops are also wonderful. There are many New York City stores that sell gently used second-hand clothing. I happen to love Jane’s Exchange in the East Village, which always has nice clothes, as well as toys, gear and a few books. But Brooklyn is the place to go if you’re looking for used clothing. We profiled five of our favorite Brooklyn resale shops last fall where you can buy new-to-you clothes, or sell outfits your kids have outgrown on consignment. I also go thrifting from time to time although the rewards are often slim when it comes to kids’ clothes. We have a post about vintage shopping with tweens featuring thrift stores that carry children’s wears.