Take the TpT Plunge!

I know that there are soooo many free things on TpT, why bother buying anything right?

Before I start explaining to you why I purchase from TpT, let me tell you how frugal I am:

1. Our food budget is $100/week for a family of 4.
2. In general, I don’t buy what I can make: laundry soap, gifts, sponges, meal plans, etc.
3. For years, I was known as the school “coupon queen“. I got up to 20 coupon flyers each week and could actually MAKE money from a trip to a store.
4. My kids only get 1-2 medium sized gifts at holidays. Nothing big at all. They still hope that we’ll cave and buy something like a television… but not any time soon (we have no television reception at all)!
5. My husband has physically been unable to work for over 5 years, so I am supporting our family (and his medical bills) completely.

So, why spend my money on Teachers Pay Teachers when there are so many free items for a frugal gal like myself?

1. Paid items are more comprehensive! Some paid items can last you an entire month, heck an entire year! That is not something you can get out of a freebie!
2. Paid items are better organized. Sellers spend up to 100 hours creating their paid items. The good sellers spend many hours editing and tweaking those products.
3. Sellers should be rewarded for the hundreds and thousands of hours they put into materials. I give a tip to my server for good service. I pay the accountant for helping me with my taxes. And I pay the creative geniuses that have created some awesome teaching products. It is typically pennies to the hours of work.
4. Clip art can be expensive! I spend hundreds of dollars on clip art every year (because the artists who create that art should be paid too!). Most of my products cost LESS than the clip art that I use. That means that I may pay $30 in clip art for a large product, and only charge you $7. That’s an amazing savings you just made…. a product for less than the materials!

So what is worth it? What should you actually spend your hard earned money on? Here are some suggestions:

Listening Comprehension Screenings by The Speech Bubble

I’ve talked about these before. I have used these for almost every kid on my caseload this year to screen their listening and retelling skills before their IEP!

Mega Fluency Pack by Speechy Musings

This mega packet has helped me to feel so much more comfortable with my fluency clients!

And finally… which of MY products do I feel is worth the money for you to actually invest in…

Although I’d like to think that they are ALL worth the money because of the thousands of hours I spend creating and all the money I’ve put into clip art… but I’d say of all my products what I use the most often is my:

Speech and Language Homework for a Year

Every language student receives a homework page each week. I have organized these by level and by month. They are easy to print, copy, hand out, and keep track of. Overall, they are my most used item in my speech room!

So what do you think? Are you ready to take the plunge into TpT, support your fellow educators, and stock up on awesome (CHEAP) materials? Check out my store: Super Power Speech!

Go to more “Take the Plunge” ideas at The Dabbling Speechie here.