CINCINNATI — The start of the school year is right around the corner and this year, school supplies are getting more expensive.
“With everything that people have to buy, it really cuts down on what they want to buy,” said University of Cincinnati economics professor David Brasington.
More than one-third of consumers are cutting back in other areas to cover back-to-school shopping expenses, according to the National Retail Federation. The federation estimates families will spend an average of more than $860 per household.
“You just have to find whatever's cheapest,” Brasington said. “If you normally shop at a name-brand store, maybe go to a lower quality store, like a dollar store, and find things that are cheaper there.”
Brasington said higher prices on school supplies are partially due to increased wages that have been raised to account for inflation. He also cited higher oil prices and continued issues with the supply chain.
Local groups offering free school supplies are seeing more demand too.
Northern Kentucky Harvest has been providing free backpacks filled with supplies for more than 20 years. The organization just finished sign-ups for this year’s supplies last weekend.
“I think it just gets harder year after year. There's a whole assortment of expenses that they have to deal with,” said President Paul Gottbrath. “I think it's just hard for a lot of these families. They are really struggling just to meet the basics.”
To cut costs on back-to-school shopping, use coupons and shop sales. Consider cheaper alternatives to name-brand products and take advantage of tax-free weekends. Tax-free weekend in Ohio starts Friday.
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