Another Expensive Year Going Back to School

It seems like every single year the cost to go back to school keeps increasing but that isn't quite the case this year. A new study by the National Retail Federation just released that parents and students will spend $82.8 billion on clothing and supplies. That's down from last year when the total was over $83.6 billion.

The report showed what most people know already including kids going back to school will spend the most on clothing and adults will need to spend the money on electronics. Here is what they said is the average for a college student getting prepared for another year.

$229.21 on electronics
$153.32 on clothing and accessories
$109.29 on dorm or apartment furnishings
$102.82 on food
$83.41 on shoes
$78.70 on personal care items such as skin and hair care
$69.46 on school supplies such as notebooks and backpacks
$62.61 on gift cards
$53.34 on collegiate branded gear

For a total of $942.16 which doesn't include tuition or those expensive textbooks.

While I realize those numbers are for adults getting prepared for college, those numbers are alarming as going into debt in college can take many years to recover from. Not to mention the fact that most teachers are spending their own money on teaching equipment for their own classroom.

Most stores in our area already have lots of school supplies on sale in preparation for the back to school rush which is good, because with these prices I would guess lots of parents have to budget to get all of the necessities.