OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Parents across the Oklahoma City metro have been out shopping in the final days before school begins, and many have been shocked by their receipts. Inflation for back-to-school shopping has hit an all-time high.
Deloitte released its 2022 back-to-school survey, indicating an 8% increase in prices this year from last. Clothing saw the biggest jump at 18%. School supplies went up by 7%.
Parents will spend an average of $661 per child this year.
Kristina Price will send her two daughters back to school in the coming days and she has already started to think of ways to cut costs.
“I’m trying to think about things that they used from prior years to now. A lot of things the teachers will communicate ‘we’ll use this again next year’,” said Price.
KFOR did some digging and went to three area stores, working from the same school supply list, to find the best deals. We checked Target, Walmart, and Office Depot and each item was the same brand.
Target by Quail Springs had .50 crayons and .99 markers, but most of those sale items were sold out. KFOR ended up with a total of $57.07.
At the Walmart location, it was fully stocked, but didn’t have the same discount prices on packs of crayons and markers. The total was $62.83.
At Office Depot, it too had .50 sale options, but we could not get every item on our list. There were three items we could not find inside the store. The total at Office Depot was $59.03.
Jeanette Pavini, author of The Joy of Saving, said if you have already purchased your supplies, make sure you keep the receipt.
“Many stores will offer price adjustments,” says Pavini. “Typically, price adjustments are about 10 to 14 days.”
Pavini said there are three things to keep in mind while shopping for your school items this year.
“Wait until a store is having a sale on the majority of the things you need. I think you wait until you get the list from the teacher. And I think you check with your state for when their tax-free weekend is,” said Pavini. “That’s a great way to save.”
Tax-free weekend in Oklahoma is August 5-7.
Pavini also said not to forget to factor in lunches into your budget. The price of food has also shot sky high.
Plan lunches for what will be on sale at your grocery store, cut coupons, and be part of the store’s loyalty program.
“That will cut your grocery bill by up to 50%,” said Pavini.