Oh, hey there, parent of a child heading back to school. How are you? Feeling a tad stressed, I imagine. So much to organise before that first day rolls around and so little time to do it. Are you also… mildly to moderately panicked about how to fund back-to-school shopping, having just lived through the most expensive time of the year during a cost-of-living crisis? Chill, love. I've got you.
Everyone, meet Officeworks.
Now, I'm sure you're all familiar with Officeworks. With 172 stores across Australia, they're genuinely hard to miss. But did you know just how much that ginormous blue building can be a beacon of hope in your back-to-school time of need?
How? Well, firstly, the value for money at Officeworks is unmatched. When you head to Officeworks, not only will you save big bucks, but you'll also save on that other finite resource there's never enough of — time. Officeworks can comfortably be your one-stop shop for nearly everything you need to put in a school bag (including the bag itself).
And for parents who love to get all their shopping done online, you can use the Officeworks School List Service. All you have to do is upload your respective dependent/s school lists (which only takes a few minutes) and they do the rest. No more hours wasted looking for the specified brand and weight of an inordinate amount of glue sticks.
Alright, so now we've all agreed on where you need to go, let's get to the fun bit… read on for my hot pick of budget-friendly, kid and teen-approved essentials for the school year.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
My tween is keen to get her hands on this super cute lunch bag, and after years of buying lunch bags at triple this price, I'm actually keen to buy it for her. Parents of this age group will be stoked to know that while the price point is low, quality is high. With a secure zip closure, a carry handle and ice pack, those pretty lunches you make will stay cool and safe to eat.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
Arguably the hero piece of the back-to-school shopping haul, when it comes to backpacks, there's a lot to take into consideration. Firstly, the vibe. This cool (or whatever the Gen Alpha word for cool is) graffiti design is striking yet subtle. It will fit laptops and devices up to 13 inches and will easily see out the next year or two with its durable polyester construction.
It's super comfy for students who take the "foot carriage" for all or part of their journey to school as it has two padded and adjustable shoulder straps, and (must be seen to be believed) a head strap for carrying ease. Finally, it uses a secure zip closure and has three internal compartments to keep everything nice and organised.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
This pencil case is a triple threat — funky, functional and environmentally-friendly. The camo design makes it a hit for any age and gender. The two-zip compartment helps to keep bits and pieces organised (and fits the all-important 30cm ruler). Made from durable, recycled polyester, it won't be adding to landfill any time soon.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
Looking for a classic 30cm ruler to pop into your new pencil case? Look no further. The Studymate wooden ruler is part of Officeworks People and Planet range which means it's primarily created from sustainably sourced wooden materials (a renewable material). All in all, a ruler that costs you under a buck, does the job and has a great initiative to support.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
OK, so we have the all-important exercise book. According to your school list you'll need approximately 427 of them, which is why this A4 96 pager is an excellent option. It's excellent value for money, contains multiplication and conversion tables on the back and has an awesome range of book covers to choose from.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
How pretty is she? Goodness gracious me. How could you have a bad day at school with this pastel loveliness in hand? Practical people will be thrilled to know that she's not just a pretty face. Water will stay nice and cool all day long in the double walled stainless-steel construction.
The wide ice opening is a must as it means you don't have to hammer your ice cubes in every morning. It comes with an included sipper, carry handle and a bonus sheet of stickers. Also, side note, it looks like a dupe of a limited-edition (now totally unavailable) water bottle that caused quite a stir last summer. Get one for your tween and thank me later.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
What's worse than doing really hard maths? Having to borrow a calculator from the judgy teacher — that's what. Set your kid up for success by nabbing them Casio's 2nd Edition Scientific nerd number cruncher — one of Officeworks very best sellers (which is quite the flex cause they sell a lot of stuff).
It has a five-year warranty, can do all the fancy science and maths stuff and has a super easy to read display and key pad. Honourable mention to Casio for the "drop-resistant" construction, which we all know is code for "will still work when used by stressed out teen." Cheers Casio, you know your target market well.
Image: Officeworks/Mamamia.
Oh, and if your school list includes a "bring your own device" bit on it, Officeworks' extensive tech range has got you covered with laptops, tablets and accessories from all the best brands, for all school levels and budgets.
These multi-port hubs are so incredibly handy and can make a huge difference to student's stress levels — and for that price, you'd be nuts to not include at least one in your back-to-school haul.
So, what does it do? Well, this Multi Port Hub by J Burrows has a bunch of ports that basically allows you to connect more devices to your laptop or desktop computer. It also has a classy and classic black aesthetic and a 12-month warranty.
Get all your back-to-school essentials at Officeworks, open early and closes late with back-to-school trading hours.
Feature Image: Supplied/Officeworks/Mamamia.
