Wise buys: Parents paying more for back-to-school essentials look for solutions

Spokane Valley resident Hannah Johnson always budgets to buy annual back-to-school supplies for her three children – 8, 10, and 11 – but this year’s prices were unexpectedly higher.

Johnson recently compared online prices against those at a local store, including generic brands and bulk purchases for a discount. All the options cost significantly more than in 2021, so she and her husband decided to delay.

“A minimum for each kid is $100, and we tend to try to buy the cheaper things – whatever’s on sale,” said Johnson, who works part-time. Her husband is a teacher. “But I grew up having all the generic stuff and all my friends had the fancy stuff, so I try to allow the kids to have one or two special things.”

They’ll wait to buy supplies around Sept. 2 – just before school begins – and timed to the next paycheck to make the monthly budget work, Johnson said.

Parents nationwide are juggling expenses as inflation makes it costlier to buy school supplies – from pens and paper to folders and glue sticks.

National surveys indicate that parents are willing to cut back on other household expenses so they can buy their children those basics. The biggest price increases in back-to-school items from 2019 to 2022 was for stationery (up 21.8%), followed by furniture and bedding (21.1%) and footwear (9.9%), said the National Retail Federation.

A basket of roughly a dozen school supply items showed a price increase of nearly 15% on average compared with a year ago, according to retail analytics firm DataWeave. That included backpacks, which are up almost 12% to an average of $70.

“We have to do a backpack every other year to try to budget them, because it gets spendy,” Johnson said. “We have attempted different things, like to try to buy supplies in bulk, and to go in June, when it’s pretty early.

“My husband typically buys a ton for his students as well, so we try to know it’s a looming expense that just keeps rising. I was really surprised this year when we budgeted it out. We had to push it out that extra month. Just the increase of everything right now has been shocking.”

Last year, Johnson wasn’t working as she finished graduate school, and she thought this year would be easier because she’s back in a job. It wasn’t. “We’re actually still behind, because what I’m making is not enough with the inflation. And we’re pretty conservative. All our cars are paid off. We try not to get into debt.”

Meanwhile, the West Valley School District is using recent federal relief funding to purchase basic school supplies for all its elementary students – with the exception of backpacks – for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. East Valley School District has a similar program using federal relief dollars toward class-list supplies, primarily for elementary students but also some notebooks and binders for middle and high school levels.

Sam Schweda, West Valley’s executive director of finance, said the district leveraged its purchasing power through a state bid contract process to buy basics such as markers and pencils for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, at much less cost than any parent could find at retail. He said this year, a total of about $25,000 was used for K-5 school supplies for 1,200 to 1,300 children.

“We’ve allocated those funds partially to pay for all of the basic school supplies for our elementary students,” he said. “We’re in the process now in budgeting to try to make this a sustainable program even when the federal dollars are gone, so we can continue to not have to send supply lists home. As far as I know, it’s been very positively received. It’s one less thing that people have to worry about with inflation.”

Like other districts, West Valley also qualified for a program to provide student breakfasts and lunches regardless of free or reduced status at all schools. WVSD and other districts have provided Chromebooks for students, so they aren’t required to have laptops or computers, he said.

In the years before the COVID pandemic, parents or guardians were asked to log onto the school’s website to see a requested classroom supply list.

“Depending on a family’s situation, maybe they can’t afford to buy those items; we’ve been able to remove that as an expense going into the school year,” Schweda said.

Now, WVSD parents and guardians of elementary students just need to do school shopping for clothing and backpacks, he said.

Among U.S. adults still buying class supplies, the National Retail Federation found that back-to-school remains an “essential category,” with 38% of parents cutting back in other areas to cover that cost for this upcoming school year. Some adults are looking to buy them at discount stores or second-hand retailers, amid surging inflation, which hit a new 40-year high in June.

Here are some ways to find back-to-school savings:

Spread the load. Consider buying in bulk or sharing bundled purchases with relatives and neighborhood families. Johnson said it typically stretches the budget to buy items such as folders in bulk and look for more generic brands. She then buys stickers for her children’s school folders, so the kids can personalize them.

List and prioritize supplies. Stick to that list while at the store or buying online. Consider what are the essentials, or ask at the school about items needed first, and if any supply can wait until later when they might be discounted.

Look for specials and coupons. Retailers often have discounts available if you’re willing to sign up for the store’s email subscription, or they allow you to download coupons for certain items.

Inventory 2021 leftovers. Some gently used or extra notebooks and supplies might be stashed in closets, or in old backpacks. Reuse those that are in good condition.

Buy refurbished tech. Places to check include Amazon Renewed and Dell Refurbished.