As students prepare to head back to classrooms in September, families may find the ABCs meaning something different this year: Alarming Back-to-school Costs.
National surveys estimate that typical households will spend more than $650 — even as much as $860 — on back to school shopping due to buying more and to higher prices caused by inflation. Prices have risen nationwide on clothing and accessories, school supplies and shoes, the surveys report.
For Carolyn Cafiero-Cavanaugh, an inventory analyst from Ronkonkoma with two high school-aged sons, one entering freshman year at Connetquot High School and the other who will be a senior, that means one thing: outlet shopping.
“Both of them are really into reimagining themselves,” says Cafiero-Cavanaugh. So school shopping involves more than the usual “buy a pair of new shoes and a couple of shirts and call it a day,” says Logan Cavanaugh, 13. “I figured it might be fun to change up my style. I wanted to try out some new things.”
Logan and Cafiero-Cavanaugh hit both Tanger in Deer Park and Riverhead. “Especially because the prices have been so bananas on everything,” Cafiero-Cavanaugh says. “We kind of knew ahead of time what he needed, so I wasn’t going to have a coronary when we went in.”
Families are doing more comparison shopping, looking for sales, buying more generic brands and making do with last year's items, according to the National Retail Federation, which estimated a typical household may spend as much as $864. The Deloitte accounting firm reports shoppers will be focused on replenishing apparel and on buying in brick-and-mortar stores as families return to more pre-pandemic era in-person social interactions and in person-shopping, and that they may spend up to $661, up 8% from last year.
Mitchell Feig, owner of youth and college apparel boutique Max and Gino's in Woodbury, says his prices haven't gone up this year, but that inflation and the economy in general may be affecting customers' decisions on what and how much to buy for back-to-school.
They may take four items to the cash register, ask for a subtotal, and then perhaps put one item back, he says. "In general you can see they're just a little more concerned."
Cafiero-Cavanaugh estimates that, for both sons combined, she spent about $150 for backpacks, binders, paper and folders. In addition, she spent about $250 on new clothing for Logan — Colin, 17, is away working as a camp counselor for the summer, so she’ll be shopping with him when he returns. A bonus for Cafiero-Cavanaugh: “Now that Logan is getting taller, they can just share a lot of clothes,” she says. She adds Colin has told his younger brother: “My closet is your closet.”
Other Long Island parents interviewed say their tips for saving money include searching for store promo codes, seeking out end of summer sales, using rewards credit cards and subscribing to store text messages to get customer coupons.
Cathi Fernandez, of Wyandanch, has younger children. She had been a stay-at-home mother for the past three years and just started working as a school lunch aide again nine-months ago. So while she says she doesn’t have a specific budget she sticks to when back-to-school shopping for her three children, ages 9, 7 and 4, she does have her methods of saving.
For instance, when she gets school supply lists from the teachers for Stephanie, who is entering fifth grade, Jahaziel, who is entering second grade and Nayely, who is entering Kindergarten, she might buy only half of the supplies right away, and then wait as the school year unfolds to see if the children really need more folders or pencils, she says. If they do, she’ll buy it then, she says. She also sticks to shopping at Walmart, where she finds prices are lower.
In addition, Fernandez says she buys clothing at the end of seasons when they go on sale, choosing a bigger size she thinks will fit the children the following year and storing them in her garage. She bought clothes on sale at the end of last winter for her kids for this school year, she says.
Lisa Cullen, a stay-at-home mother from East Meadow, does most of her back-to-school shopping online for her son, Liam, 10, a who is entering fifth grade at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson. Liam has arthrogryposis, a disease of the joints that make it hard for him to bend.
Cullen buys him adaptive clothing that might close with magnets instead buttons and Velcro instead of snaps. She chooses to shop primarily at Target because she can order both his clothing and his school supplies on the site, and she uses a store credit card that offers 5% off every purchase, she says. She'll also shop at Old Navy or Kohls using its rewards credit cards, she says.
"Including school supplies, we try to budget between $200 to $350," Cullen says. That usually covers clothes, pajamas, sneakers, coats, jackets or hats. "We need to special order sneakers online for a specific width and size not available in stores. We are fortunate, too, that Liam is also given clothes from family for his birthday and at Christmas, which helps a great deal."
Some schools have made school supplies easier for parents. Vicky Hostin, 37, a director of clinical operations from Baldwin Harbor, says she is thrilled that her son’s elementary school had a program that allowed her to order all his requirements for his first grade class — crayons, ruler, even his bookbag — for $70 and have them delivered to her home in July.
“Right now, everything is in his book bag and good to go,” she says. “Whoever thought of that, it was absolutely amazing.”
This year’s experience was much different from her kindergarten shopping experience, Hostin says, when she received Carter's school supply list late in the summer and then ran from store to store trying to find the right color folders for each subject and spending about $100.
Cafiero-Cavanaugh has a message for parents of younger kids: “It gets better,” she says. You won’t be buying pencils and glue sticks for the rest of your life, she says. Once they are older, much of their work is done on a computer and they can help with the shopping themselves. “You won’t be losing your mind in a couple of years,” she promises.
As students prepare to head back to classrooms in September, families may find the ABCs meaning something different this year: Alarming Back-to-school Costs.
National surveys estimate that typical households will spend more than $650 — even as much as $860 — on back to school shopping due to buying more and to higher prices caused by inflation. Prices have risen nationwide on clothing and accessories, school supplies and shoes, the surveys report.
For Carolyn Cafiero-Cavanaugh, an inventory analyst from Ronkonkoma with two high school-aged sons, one entering freshman year at Connetquot High School and the other who will be a senior, that means one thing: outlet shopping.
“Both of them are really into reimagining themselves,” says Cafiero-Cavanaugh. So school shopping involves more than the usual “buy a pair of new shoes and a couple of shirts and call it a day,” says Logan Cavanaugh, 13. “I figured it might be fun to change up my style. I wanted to try out some new things.”
Logan and Cafiero-Cavanaugh hit both Tanger in Deer Park and Riverhead. “Especially because the prices have been so bananas on everything,” Cafiero-Cavanaugh says. “We kind of knew ahead of time what he needed, so I wasn’t going to have a coronary when we went in.”
Families are doing more comparison shopping, looking for sales, buying more generic brands and making do with last year's items, according to the National Retail Federation, which estimated a typical household may spend as much as $864. The Deloitte accounting firm reports shoppers will be focused on replenishing apparel and on buying in brick-and-mortar stores as families return to more pre-pandemic era in-person social interactions and in person-shopping, and that they may spend up to $661, up 8% from last year.
Long Islanders' tips for saving back-to-school cash
- Search for store promo codes and coupons
- Seek out end of season sales
- Subscribe to store text messages to get customer discounts
- Consider splitting the list into "necessities" and "purchase later"
- Use rewards credit cards for purchases
Mitchell Feig, owner of youth and college apparel boutique Max and Gino's in Woodbury, says his prices haven't gone up this year, but that inflation and the economy in general may be affecting customers' decisions on what and how much to buy for back-to-school.
They may take four items to the cash register, ask for a subtotal, and then perhaps put one item back, he says. "In general you can see they're just a little more concerned."
FAMILIES SEEK TO SAVE
Cafiero-Cavanaugh estimates that, for both sons combined, she spent about $150 for backpacks, binders, paper and folders. In addition, she spent about $250 on new clothing for Logan — Colin, 17, is away working as a camp counselor for the summer, so she’ll be shopping with him when he returns. A bonus for Cafiero-Cavanaugh: “Now that Logan is getting taller, they can just share a lot of clothes,” she says. She adds Colin has told his younger brother: “My closet is your closet.”
Other Long Island parents interviewed say their tips for saving money include searching for store promo codes, seeking out end of summer sales, using rewards credit cards and subscribing to store text messages to get customer coupons.
Cathi Fernandez, of Wyandanch, has younger children. She had been a stay-at-home mother for the past three years and just started working as a school lunch aide again nine-months ago. So while she says she doesn’t have a specific budget she sticks to when back-to-school shopping for her three children, ages 9, 7 and 4, she does have her methods of saving.
Everything is expensive, especially with three kids.
— Cathi Fernandez, of Wyandanch
For instance, when she gets school supply lists from the teachers for Stephanie, who is entering fifth grade, Jahaziel, who is entering second grade and Nayely, who is entering Kindergarten, she might buy only half of the supplies right away, and then wait as the school year unfolds to see if the children really need more folders or pencils, she says. If they do, she’ll buy it then, she says. She also sticks to shopping at Walmart, where she finds prices are lower.
In addition, Fernandez says she buys clothing at the end of seasons when they go on sale, choosing a bigger size she thinks will fit the children the following year and storing them in her garage. She bought clothes on sale at the end of last winter for her kids for this school year, she says.
Lisa Cullen, a stay-at-home mother from East Meadow, does most of her back-to-school shopping online for her son, Liam, 10, a who is entering fifth grade at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson. Liam has arthrogryposis, a disease of the joints that make it hard for him to bend.
Liam Cullen, 10, with mom Lisa, shows off his new back to school outfit at his East Meadow home. The adaptive Tommy Hilfiger collared shirt and Target cargo pants both feature magnetic closures instead of buttons which makes it easier for Liam who has arthrogryposis, a disease of the joints. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Cullen buys him adaptive clothing that might close with magnets instead buttons and Velcro instead of snaps. She chooses to shop primarily at Target because she can order both his clothing and his school supplies on the site, and she uses a store credit card that offers 5% off every purchase, she says. She'll also shop at Old Navy or Kohls using its rewards credit cards, she says.
"Including school supplies, we try to budget between $200 to $350," Cullen says. That usually covers clothes, pajamas, sneakers, coats, jackets or hats. "We need to special order sneakers online for a specific width and size not available in stores. We are fortunate, too, that Liam is also given clothes from family for his birthday and at Christmas, which helps a great deal."
HOPING THINGS GET EASIER
Some schools have made school supplies easier for parents. Vicky Hostin, 37, a director of clinical operations from Baldwin Harbor, says she is thrilled that her son’s elementary school had a program that allowed her to order all his requirements for his first grade class — crayons, ruler, even his bookbag — for $70 and have them delivered to her home in July.
“Right now, everything is in his book bag and good to go,” she says. “Whoever thought of that, it was absolutely amazing.”
This year’s experience was much different from her kindergarten shopping experience, Hostin says, when she received Carter's school supply list late in the summer and then ran from store to store trying to find the right color folders for each subject and spending about $100.
Cafiero-Cavanaugh has a message for parents of younger kids: “It gets better,” she says. You won’t be buying pencils and glue sticks for the rest of your life, she says. Once they are older, much of their work is done on a computer and they can help with the shopping themselves. “You won’t be losing your mind in a couple of years,” she promises.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
