Some Tips to Help With Back-to-School Costs

For a lot of parents getting the kids prepared for back-to-school can be a financial burden. Believe it or not there was a day when you didn't have to purchase all the books that were needed each and every year. The schools passed the textbooks along to a new class every year.

According to the National Retail Federation,  families will spend an average of $59 more for items than they did last year, i.e., $848.90 in 2021. This is for kids from elementary age through high school. Overall the total back-to-school spending will jump approximately $3.2 billion this year to $37.1 billion. If you have college age students the cost is even more. A little over $1,050 will be spent per student.

Unfortunately, a lot of parents get blind-sided with these costs and aren't really prepared for them, but with a little planning a few tips, maybe this year will be a little less stressful.

In an article from pennyhoarder.com, a few tips might make it easier for you this year:

• Find out what supplies your child/children will need for the upcoming year. Check to see what's around the house that they can use for the new year. Not everything has to be new that they take to school. Also check to see what clothes and shoes still fit. From there you can do the inventory and try to figure out what items they will need.
• Set a budget. Try not to overspend . That's only going to put more pressure on you.
• If you have the availability to earn a little extra money with some side hustles, put that money aside for the back-to-school fund.
• One way to save money is to take the extra change or dollar bills that you accumulated during the day and drop them into a container. You'll be surprised how quickly the amount will add up.

Good luck on your shopping, and here's to a great school year in 2021-22.