How Starting a TpT Store Can Save You Money (and Even Help You Earn More)
Let’s be real, being a teacher in today’s world means constantly balancing the classroom budget with your personal one. Oh yes, our income is not fully our own as teachers. Classroom supplies, rising grocery costs, endless Amazon carts for your own family… it all adds up.
It’s no wonder so many teachers are looking for ways to stretch every dollar. But saving money is only half the equation. What if you could also earn a little extra without picking up another part-time job? Without spending more time away from home and your family.
And this is where Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) comes into the mix!
More Than a Side Hustle
I know what you’re thinking,“I barely have time to as it is with my classroom and home! How could I fit a TpT store in?” You’re not wrong about being short on time. But here’s the thing, building a TpT store doesn’t mean clocking in somewhere after school. It’s about using the lessons, labs, and activities you’re already creating and putting them to work for you.
At first, it might feel like “extra work.” But unlike grading or lesson planning, TpT work grows. A resource you upload once can continue to sell for years. And if you’re already making quality materials for your students, you’re halfway there.
Let me paint the picture. I started my store in 2017. I was a newly divorced mama and wanted to earn just an extra $100 a month to save up and take my kiddo on vacations. Welp, I blew past that $100/month way faster than I imagined. It took me time and some late nights of creative frenzy, but I ended up creating a Physics Resource Bundle that has made me over $24,000 since its launch! One product!
It’s not a fast win. A marathon, not a sprint. But I am forever grateful for my start on TpT. So let’s get into some details.
The Cost to Start is Low
Here’s the part that really makes TpT worth considering:
A TpT Premium Membership is only $59.95 per year.
Compare that to the cost of dinner out with your family—or two weeks of Starbucks runs—and it suddenly doesn’t feel so big.
And the potential return? Even a handful of sales a month can pay that membership fee back (and then some) quickly.
Let’s keep with the low startup cost theme and download my Free TpT Playbook! Get your creative juices flowing and start visualizing your store and future on TpT. It’s the basic blueprint for niche finding, branding, and product line creation.
How to Skip the Guesswork
Here’s where a lot of teachers get stuck: How do I start without wasting time or money? And where do I start?!
And that’s where the TpT Store Starter Kit comes in. This kit is designed to get you up and running quickly and professionally. You don’t need the “trial and error” method that I took. That technique cost me months of frustration…and three rebrands.
In the TpT Store Kit you’ll have everything you need to skip guesswork. Plug-and-play content that points you in a direction for success. So you can start earning meaningful side income sooner.
For $57, you get everything you need to launch and start growing:
Niche Brainstorming: so you know what to sell and who you’re selling to
Branding & Logo Templates: look polished and credible right away without a design background
Product Listing Templates: write listings that actually convert and rank high in TpT searches
Newsletter Templates: start building your audience from day one with uniquely styled templates that stand out
Social Media Basics: market your store without spending all your time online
In other words: no guesswork, no wasted months, no money down the drain.
The Real Cost of Starting a TpT Store (and Why It’s a No-Brainer)
Here’s the truth: starting a TpT store is one of the most affordable “business launches” you’ll ever make. I mean, really. We spend money nonstop on wants that we think are needs. What better way to spend our money than to invest it in something that will grow our income?
TpT Premium Membership: $59.95/year (about $5/month)
TpT Store Starter Kit: $57 one-time
👉 That’s just about $117 to launch your store professionally for the entire first year.
The average TpT resource sells for $5–6. That means it takes around 20 sales to cover your entire startup cost. And since resources sell over and over, that could be just one product line selling steadily.
Want a good idea of TpT store growth? Check out this blog post about my own experience.
The difference is what you get with the Starter Kit:
Polished branding and a logo that makes you look professional from day one
Templates for product listings, memorable newsletters, and social media that save hours of trial and error
A niche plan that helps you focus on what sells instead of wasting months guessing
Instead of fumbling through, you launch with a clear plan and a polished store.
👉 Grab the TpT Store Starter Kit here and pair it with your Premium Membership to make this the smartest $117 you’ll ever spend.
It will be your best investment or money spent all year. From me to you, I will forever be grateful for what my TpT has afforded me in my single mom era and for my family today.
At the very least (because I know if you read this far you’re thinking), download the Free TpT Playbook and get started.
