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Broke Dads Club · brokedadsclub.com
School supply triage sheet
Three columns for the school list. Must, reuse, skip. Write the number before you enter the store.
Fill the Already Own box first. Then sort the teacher list into Must, Reuse, and Skip. Write the budget cap next to the store name before you walk in.
Full write-up: the school supply list that quietly wrecks August. Fill on your phone, print this page, or save as a PDF. No email required.
Type on your phone first, or open the filled sample to see how another dad ran it. Print keeps what you typed.
Already own
Inventory the backpack and junk drawer for fifteen minutes before you look at the teacher PDF. Check it off. Then triage.
Before the store
Triage the list
Copy items from the school PDF into one column. Must: the teacher will notice. Reuse: last year still works. Skip: theater, optional donations dressed as requirements, the third set of markers.
Must
Kid cannot function without it
Reuse
Already own, still works
Skip / delay
Until a teacher actually asks
Where to buy
- What you already have at home
- Dollar aisle / store brand for consumables
- One big-box run with the budget cap already written
- Ask the teacher, quietly, if generic is fine
Scripts
- To your kid: “We're buying the list, not the whole aisle.”
- To another parent: “We're keeping it lean this year.”
- To yourself: “This is a season. It is not a referendum on my love.”
Tip: on mobile, tap Download PDF, then choose Save as PDF.
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