School supplies are still on huge, huge discounts this week. If you don’t yet have a supply list from your school or teacher (I remember one year my daughter was told “something to write in, something to write on”), some of the Monroe retailers have recommendations posted in their store for various grade levels.

Even if you don’t have to worry about school supplies (my daughter doesn’t need much in the way of restocking this school year), this is a really good time to pick up pens, envelopes, paper and other items you need during the year for your home or business office or craft projects. There’s only so many freebie pens you can snag at the expo centers and county fair, after all!

And there is a back-to-school supply drive in Monroe County for needy families. If you can spend $5 to $10 on extra school supplies this week to drop in a campaign box, you’re saving another family a lot more in out-of-pocket expenses by the time school starts in September.

Here are the sales fliers that were in my home-delivery edition of The Monroe Evening News today:

Coupons

• Smart Source flier with coupons for diapers, yogurt, feminine products and hot dogs.

Grocery and drug stores

• GFS Marketplace has $5 off $50 purchase. Coca-Cola 2-liters are 99 cents, seedless watermelon is $3.99, 5 pound box of hamburger patties for $10.99. (I’m setting aside this flier. Our calendar is pretty full with picnics and parties during the next three to four weeks.)
• Kroger (sale starts Monday) has the 10 Mega Item Event with buy 10 participating items, get $5 off. You can do this trick 3 times in one transaction with your shopper card. Do pay attention to the exact product list, I messed up one time trying to follow 10 Mega Item promotion and blew one of my discounts. There are A LOT OF NAME BRAND PRODUCTS on the list this week. There is also a 10 for $10 sale on selected school supplies.
• Meijer has milk at $2.77 a gallon. Buy $10 worth of General Mills cereal (four boxes for $10 this week and check your coupon box), you will get $3 off fresh blueberries (blueberries freeze well). There is a 10 for $10 get $11 item free sale with name brand products. Buy $10 of selected Kellogg’s, Keebler, Sunshine or Eggo products, save $10 on a backpack (scroll down for more details on backpacks).
• Walgreens has coupons in its flier for 5 cents each on pocket folders, mechanical pencil packs and highlighters. Coupon in flier for notebook paper at 29 cents a pack. Folger’s coffee $7.99 a can. Coupon in flier for Bush’s baked beans 79 cents each. CFL light bulbs $2.99 each. Walgreens tote-style shopping bag 99 cents.
• Aldi has a dinner-step-by-step promotion with meat, condiment, side dish and dessert item. Selections include barbecue sauce for 85 cents and Sundae Nut Cones six-pack for $1.99.
• CVS Pharmacy has buy one get one free specials on Revlon and Almay makeup. Pepsi 12-packs are on the Extra Bucks program. Buy one get one free on Crayola 24-pack crayons. Huggies diapers on sale. Buy $15 worth of store brand baby products including cotton swabs and baby wipes, get $5 Extra Bucks back.

Department and specialty stores

• Kmart has five for $1 on Elmer’s glue and glue sticks, 9 cents on 70-page theme books, 30 percent off backpacks. Spend $35 on specified Levi Strauss and Co. apparel, get 10 music downloads. Sale on bonus packs of boys and girls underwear. All food storage on sale (I prefer to use tubs that are meant for food storage rather than re-use margarine tubs). All glass bakeware on sale (casseroles are budget-friendly and potluck-friendly).
• Sears has all denim and shoes on sale. Dockers school uniforms are 30 percent off (the ones in the flier include school uniform pieces I’ve seen local students wear). Clearances prices on selected sleepwear for her. Dorm room / college student stuff on sale includes pillows, Ty Pennington MyStyle bedding and a back-to-school vehicle maintenance package.
• Best Buy has Geek Squad Internet security software and installation package on sale. Portable hard drives are on the instant savings plan. All Kodak photo paper is 40 percent off. Several GPS devices are on sale.
• Meijer’s department store flier lists a promotion that overlaps with the grocery ad: buy $10 worth grocery products as listed above, get $10 off any backpack … AND the backpacks are 40 percent off. All fine art supplies are 20 percent off. All teacher reward and classroom accessories are 25 percent off. Toddler formula is on sale. Underwear and socks for the family are on sale. Rival 4-quart slow cooker is $19.99 (very budget-friendly way to cook). Simple Green cleaners have a bonus promotion.
• Menards has selected paint brushes on a mail-in rebate offer. Clorox bleach, The Works toilet bowl cleaner and other cleaning supplies on sale. Lots of dollar deals that include electrical tape and a utility lighter. Seasonal closeout on outdoor toys.
• Kohl’s has sales on Tony Hawk, Urban Pipeline and Candie’s apparel. Oh Baby by Motherhood clothing on sale. All bed pillows and mattress pads on sale. All school uniform pieces are 25 to 40 percent off (styles in this ad also are similar to what I’ve seen local students wear). 50 percent off bedding basics (think college dorm).
• Dunham’s Sports has golf clubs on sale. Sale prices on camping chairs, outdoor grills, screen houses and sleeping bags. Duffel bags and backpacks on special. If you need a new bicycle to get to school or work, there are several listed.
• Target has a selection of men’s and women’s tops for less than $20 each. Sales with bonus packs on underwear and socks. Backpacks and messenger bags on sale. 10 percent off all Coleman air beds and pumps (these work just as well for overnight guests as for camping trips). Baby formula and Huggies on sale. Coca-Cola 12-packs are four for $10.
• RexTV has window air conditioners on sale (a favorite frugal trick during the summer is set up one room with a window unit and stay there all day). There also are microwaves and stand-alone freezers on sale.
• Durocher’s Brand Source flier includes selected Frigidare appliances. A basic washing machine is listed for $369. Bundle promotions when you purchase two, three or four select Whirlpool items.