Staples wants your back-to-school business and this year is trying to compete with penny deals and freebies on school supplies. You can get report covers for 20 cents each, plastic binders for 25 cents each, pencil boxes for 50 cents, and plastic rulers and pencils for free.

You can find out all the details in the weekly circular and find out what else there is by visiting your local store.

Of course, once Staples gets you in the door, they're hoping you'll go home with a lot more in your shopping cart -- anything from backpacks to furniture to computers. So if you're only interested in spending a few dollars, stick to the penny bins.

Back to school can be a real pain in the wallet for parents. I know. And when my kids were school-age I didn't have a dollar store to go to for cheap school supplies. However, in order to save money, it's still a question of careful shopping, as I discovered on a recent trip to my local Staples to compare prices on the basics. Here's a sampling what I found. (Please check prices in your area.)

• Binder exercise books. Staples has 200-page exercise books for $1.96 each compared to the dollar store's 140-page notebook for $1. That means you're paying .96 cents more for an extra 60 pages at Staples and probably a better quality paper as well. You decide.

• 1" binders. Staples has Hilroy binders for .88 cents each. You can't beat that at the dollar store.

• Index dividers. Staples sells Avery plastic dividers with write-on tab for $3.28 per package. If you don't need fancy, try a package of 10 index dividers for $1.