MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — The countdown to the first day of school has begun, and one issue many parents are talking about is the growing cost of back-to-school shopping.
Families are really feeling the effects of higher prices of school supplies. According to a recent Bankrate survey, 1 in 5 shoppers say Back To School costs are straining their budgets, 1 in 6 shoppers plan to buy fewer school supplies than in previous years due to the cost, and 1 in 10 shoppers feel pressured to spend more than they're comfortable spending.
To help you save, we have a special edition of Smart Shopper, looking at six common school supplies at four major retailers to see which offers the best deal.
Watch the video report from Kiara Hay below
I looked at the school supply list for kids, Kindergarten to fifth grade, and tried to come up with six items on each list, so I came up with disinfectant wipes, Kleenex, pencils, erasers, scissors, and glue sticks.
I've compared the prices at four stores to see where you can get the most bang for your buck.
Back-to-school shopping can be fun, but also expensive. Mother of five Jessica Szpanelewski knows a thing or two about that.
"I can definitely see a difference," she told me.
From her oldest, who is 22, to her youngest son entering the fifth grade, Szpanelewski tells me through the years, the school supply lists keep growing.
"Most definitely increasing, it seems like nowadays, we have to supply almost everything from tissues to disinfectant wipes all the way to dry-erase markers," she said.
So to not break the bank, Szpanelewski says back-to-school drives and price comparing are the tricks. I'm doing the latter.
I started at Meijer, and repeated the process at Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
The most affordable was Walmart, edging out Meijer by 49 cents. The most expensive by far is Amazon. Buying in small quantities isn't worth it if you're shopping at the online retailer, but you could get great deals buying in bulk.
But wherever you shop, and no matter how long the list, Jessica said it's important to keep your head up.
"You have the kids going back to school, so that’s good for us parents a little bit too," Jessica said. "Yeah definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.”
And teachers: if you are looking for deals for your classroom, we have more information at this link.
