A hard lesson

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Back-to-school shopping in the down economy has become a strain on a lot of wallets, but many have found ways to save.

By Amanda Snyder

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Aug. 27, 2009

Martillia Godfrey, left, helped her cousin, Jamella Monroe, with cart, of 26th and Morris streets, bargain shop at Wal-Mart for Monroe's four school-age children (Photo by Rob Torney).

With four children going back to school, shopping can be a mighty task. With 1-month-old Nailah at home, Jamella Monroe, of 26th and Morris streets, and her cousin, Martillia Godfrey, of the same block, spent Monday at Wal-Mart, 1675 S. Columbus Blvd., searching for deals.

With a supply of markers and crayons in the cart, the mother still needed lunch bags and notebooks, which 8-year-old twins Tamir and Taquan -- soon to be third-graders at Delaplaine McDaniel School, 1801 S. 22nd St. -- will need.

"I've actually been shopping all over, trying to find who has the cheapest products," Monroe said.

Sanna�, 6, is starting first grade at McDaniel. Kaasim, 4, is attending pre-kindergarten at Dixon Learning Academy, 2201 Moore St.

"I look to shop for the cheapest, still good quality, but the cheapest," Monroe said.

This sometimes requires avoiding name brands or sharing supplies, she added.

Families are tightening belts this fall while preparing for the start of a new school year. More than 83 percent of shoppers said the economy is affecting back-to-school plans, according to a National Retail Federation survey. Parents of school-age children will spend about $548.72 on supplies, clothes and electronics -- down 7.7 percent from last year-- while parents of the college-bound will pay out about $618.12 -- up 3 percent from 2008. Total spending is expected to reach $47.5 billion, down from $51.34 billion.

But the number of students attending college has dropped and more are opting to live at home as opposed to an on- or off-campus apartment, causing expected spending to drop about $30 billion.

"The economy is forcing young adults to make hard decisions about which schools to attend, where to live and what's really a necessity for college," Tracy Mullin, federation president/CEO, said in a press release. "This year, college students are just as focused as their parents on finding good deals and making smart choices with their money."

Sarah Tamulski, 18, of California, loads up the car after shopping at Target Monday. The new Temple student was on the hunt for class and dorm supplies (Photo by Rob Torney).

For The Tamulski family from outside Oakland, Calif., the numbers meant purchasing many items online for daughter Sarah, 18, who is about to start her freshman year at Temple University. Monday, parents Jim and Linda were at Target, 1 Mifflin St., shopping for odds and ends.

"We actually signed up for the credit card so we could get the 10 percent off," Linda said.

To stretch their dollar even further, they used coupons and said no to some of their daughter's wishes, such as Egyptian cotton sheets and a $2,000 comforter.

"We've gotten her everything she needs and that's it," Linda said.

But the students also kept her wants reasonable and chipped in whenever possible.

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