We have just said goodbye to the holidays to usher in the start of a new school year. A year that, although it says goodbye to almost all the limitations implemented in the last two years caused by the pandemic, means a significant economic expense for families.
A particularly difficult course
Because there are many who have to face financially the high costs of going back to school. Especially this year, marked by being a course, that of 2022-2023, especially complicated because it does not escape the increase in cost of all material, from the most basic to books (which are the most expensive) and technological devices.
According to a study carried out by Banqmi for the 2022-2023 academic year, families will pay per student more than 400 euros on averagewhich represents an increase of 4.7% compared to what they spent last year and one of the most important increases in the last five years.
The data July from the National Institute of Statistics, which may now vary in September, tell us that: rises:
- 23.1% everything that carries paper, such as notebooks and sheets
- 4.9% stationery items such as pencils or pens
- 2.4% children’s clothing
- 9.4% footwear
- 1.7% the prices of school canteens
- 1.5% textbooks
Saving strategies for back to school
The first disbursements focus mainly textbooks and school supplies, to which are added other monthly expenses such as the school cafeteria, extracurricular activities and transportation. The sum of all of them becomes a real challenge for many family economies.
With such a high bill, it is normal for many families to look for ways to save. And although it is not easy to do, yes you can avoid some expensesespecially those related to clothing, school supplies (backpacks, pencil cases, etc.) and textbooks, which are, in this order, the three areas in which most attempts are being made to cut costs.
The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) encrypts the spending per family of 2,186 euros per child, a figure higher than that of other years due to inflation. To meet this economic challenge for many families, he also gives some tips intended to cut costs a bit:
- Plan or leave it for last: Either go too far ahead or wait until the last minute. Both options will help us save more. In the weeks prior to the start of the course there are usually numerous promotions and it will make it easier for us to return from vacation with our homework done, although it is important to check what we buy well so as not to keep things that, in reality, we do not need, even if there is a good offer . We can also wait, although in this case we may not find certain discounts or we may run out of stock.
- Make a list of what we needs: Just as we do when we buy the supermarket, it is advisable to go with the list of all the material that we will need. In this way we will avoid buying more than necessary and unnecessary things.
- Check what we already have at home: backpacks, cases, calculators, etc. It is material that we can take advantage of from one year to the next if they are in good condition. It is not necessary to renew it every year if it is in good condition.
- Go shopping without the kids: Many times they will become infatuated with objects and clothes that they do not need. Therefore, it is better to go shopping alone.
- Buy clothes and shoes in stages: Unless you need a uniform (another one of the big back-to-school rebates), you don’t have to buy all your clothes at once, we can do it little by little, as you need it.
- Take advantage of direct discounts: Some schools offer discounts on textbooks if we buy them in advance and pay them in cash.
- Recycle and exchange books: The exchange of books and other school supplies is important to reduce the bill. Retrieving used books from the previous year, something that is usually managed by the educational center itself or by parent associations, is a cheaper option than buying new books.
- Compare prices of tablets and other digital devices: If our son’s school works with tablets instead of physical books, it is important to check with a comparator to save a few euros.
- Deduct on the income statement: Another saving strategy is, if possible, to deduct the purchase of textbooks, school supplies and uniforms. The autonomous communities where this can be applied deduction they are Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, Extremadura, Madrid or Murcia. The deduction varies depending on the area and is applied to the purchase of school supplies and books for children in the second cycle of early childhood education, primary education and compulsory secondary education.
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