It’s only the beginning of August, but back-to-school time is already here for some families. That means they’ll be checking the lists and shopping for all the things their student will need in the coming school year and according to a new survey, 55% of parents think their kids need more items for school than they did as kids.
The poll of 2-thousand parents of school-age kids finds:
- Nearly six in 10 parents (58%) think school supplies have gotten more expensive.
- That may be why 33% of them are putting all of their back-to-school shopping on their credit card this year.
- To help save money, 65% of parents will use savings apps, 54% will use government discounts and 53% will rely on scholarships or grants.
- Kids still need basics, like pencils and pens (69%), paper notebooks (68%) and erasers (62%), but 70% of parents say most of their back-to-school spending is on tech.
- The majority of parents (83%) are setting a budget for the tech their kids will need, more than those budgeting for required books (53%), backpacks and lunch boxes (38%) and clothing or shoes (34%).
- Back-to-school spending does give parents a chance to talk about finances with their kids and 46% of kids between six and 18 say they’ve talked about being frugal with their parents.
- The kids surveyed also say they’ve learned the difference between wants and needs (65%), saving money for something special (57%) and buying things that someone else has used before (56%)
The top tech items kids need for school include:
- Smartphone - 72%
- Laptop - 71%
- Desktop computer - 66%
- Tablet - 62%
- E-reader - 58%
- Headphones - 46%
- Webcam - 31%
- Printer - 30%
- Electronic calculator - 30%
Source: SWNS Digital