Did you know that 70% of all stationery supplies are purchased during the Back to School season.

Think of all the students and teachers returning to school and the needed pads, pencils, notebooks, backpacks and other related equipment.

Manufacturers take great advantage of this season to promote their products with sales, coupons and refunds.

I found some of the greatest deals at Staples for $.01 for pens, pencils, sharpeners, rulers and such. Great deals on packages that have a BOGOF on pens, erasers, glue sticks, and filler paper. The most fun are the cash rebates that come along with these specially marked packages.

So enjoy the season, save some money and make a little too. Try the stationers sites for special deals: www.officedepot.com and www.staples.com.

Getting an extra product for free is always fun and some stores use this savings technique from time to time.

There are a few tips to consider when shopping what is called a BOGOF. If you have a free coupon for the same item that is a BOGOF that’s the time to use it. About 2 months ago, Acme Supermarket in Philadelphia (I happened to be there), had a real special deal on Gain detergent. It was a Buy One Get 2 Free. The single price was $6.99 or about $2.33 per 50 oz. bottle. However, I had a ‘free coupon’ for Gain giving me all three for free, for an actual savings of almost $21.00. I also used 2-$1 Gain coupons on 2 more of these specials. For the 9 bottles the cost was about $12, $1.50 per bottle for a total savings of $51.00. I’m still using the detergent.

Next is the coupon that offers BOGOF. Not long ago Pantene had such an offer. In addition, in the same flyer, Pantene had a $2 coupon. With my 2 flyers, I had 2 sets of coupons. The Pantene was on sale for $3.33 each. For $2.66 I got 4 Pantene. I saved about $11 on the sale price or about $17.50 on the regular price.

And last is the manufacturer’s package of BOGOF. Often to promote a product, a manufacturer will package 2 items for the price of one. This happens quite often. I always check for Zoya’s favorite Pupperoni at Petco. The health and beauty sections are a famous for this too as is the household cleaning products.

So keep a sharp eye out for these bonus deals.