Like other parents, Waipahu resident John Kim hated back-to-school shopping.

The single dad this week recalled frantically driving to different office supply stores, looking for the right items and the best bargains for his daughters, now in the ninth and 12th grades at McKinley High School.

"It was really hard for me ... because I really, really had a busy schedule," Kim said. "I thought, 'There's gotta be an easy way to do this.' "

So three years ago he launched SchoolToolsOhana.com, a Web site that aims to take the stress out of back-to-school shopping.

The site lists all public elementary and middle schools, including those on the Neighbor Islands, and provides ready-made packages of school supplies listed according to school and grade.

A prepackaged kit for a second-grader at 'Aina Haina Elementary School, for example, would cost $54.29. A package for an 'Ewa Elementary School fifth-grader would cost $60.67.

That is comparable to or even a few dollars less than what parents would pay at retail stores, Kim said.

Kim, a graduate of Hilo High School, studied computer information at Heald College and earned degrees in computer information technology and networking technology. Besides maintaining the site, he also works a full-time warehousing job.

The school supplies are ordered from a wholesale distributor, packaged and sent or delivered to customers, usually within a few days.

Although all schools appear on the site, not all have lists. Kim said customers can e-mail, call or fax him directly if their school's list is not on the site, and he will order and supply the items.

Visitors can also purchase other products such as dictionaries and art supplies through the site.

SchoolToolsOhana.com attracted about 40 to 50 orders last year, including some from San Jose and Sacramento, Calif., and grossed about $7,000.

With most public schools starting in less than two weeks, Kim has at least that many orders through the newly upgraded site and says he expects even more in the following weeks.

Those who have used the site said this week that it has made going back to school easier on their families.

"We used to go to Wal-Mart, Kmart, all different stores to save money," said Kane'ohe resident Nalani Simeona, who has been ordering school supplies through School Tools Ohana for her grandchildren for the last few years.

Ordering everything she needs online in under an hour saves time and gas money, she added.

"By doing it this way, it's more economical, (because) it can get crazy with three kids," she said.

"It's easier for us," said Wai'anae resident Keoni Villegas, whose four sons are entering the second, third, fifth and sixth grades at Kamaile Academy, formerly Kamaile Elementary School.

Villegas, who works two jobs, said he spent about $100 on supplies for his boys through SchoolToolsOhana.

"We don't have to run around," he said. "We don't have to fight the crowds."