Back to school will cost almost $600 per child this year. Here's how parents can save.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It's Back to School Month, an exhausting time for parents as they set out to complete the second-largest shopping haul of the year.
KDKA-TV Consumer Investigator Meghan Schiller has tips on shopping and saving money.
Buy big items only when needed
Alexis Sheehan is a mother looking to save, so she reuses supplies.
"We have some repeat stuff," she said. "We have a drawer at home which is everything that's left over and still works from last year."
The first tip is to buy new big-ticket items only when needed. Sheehan's daughters reuse the same backpacks and lunch boxes.
Nick Heckathorn said his daughter is starting from scratch as a first grader.
"I will say she's definitely getting more stuff this year than last year. Only being in half-day kindergarten, she needs more," Heckathorn said.
Browse online first
The second tip is to browse online first. Parents should see what stores offer what prices for the items on your list.
A survey from Deloitte says parents this year will spend $586 per child, down $11 from last year. So, KDKA-TV did some comparison shopping with a supply list for a local kindergarten class.
Here's what we found: All 33 items on the list cost $127 at Walmart, $150 at Target and $190 at Amazon.
Compare prices
That leads to the next two tips: Don't assume everything's cheaper online, and compare prices before you click.
KDKA-TV found 4-ounce Elmer's white glue bottles for 50 cents at Target and Walmart. But if you clicked the first handful of options that pop up on Amazon without paying attention you'd easily pay $8.
However, if you're strategically shopping and price matching, scrolling down a few pages revealed glue for 50 cents.
Shopping surprises?
KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller didn't realize how certain items could significantly vary in price. She assumed Walmart would be cheaper, but it wasn't as cheap as she expected.
She definitely didn't expect the list from the local kindergarten class to cost the most on Amazon.