National Retail Federation says school shopping costs remain high

At Jordyn Finkel’s house, there’s never a dull moment. For many families, August means it’s time for back-to-school shopping.

“Back-to-school shopping is definitely expensive. It’s something that we think about all summer long until we actually do it. This year for two kids, we paid $350,” Finkel said.

That total doesn’t include clothing.

“Last year, we waited till last minute because we didn’t have the money and we had to go to so many different stores and we weren’t able to get everything. So to be honest, this year I put it on my credit card and I’m going to slowly pay it off because that’s the best way we had to do it,” Finkel said.

The National Retail Federation says back-to-school shopping is estimated to cost families about $875 on average, $15 lower than last year but still the second-highest estimate ever. But Finkel said there are ways to save money, so you don’t break the bank.

“Would definitely recommend setting money aside throughout the year, even like $10 a month if you have extra, just to put aside for back to school. So it’s not that big lump sum when you have to go shopping. There are also a lot of different things and places that offer free supplies. I know some places do back to school, backpacks that have some supplies in it, and sometimes that can work for families too,” Finkel said.

She says to focus on buying quality items, even if they’re a bit pricer up front and if you’re feeling overwhelmed she says there’s no shame in asking for help.