FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — A reality check for all those summer lovers out there: Most major retailers have already rolled out their back-to-school sections, and with continued inflation, parents are expected to pay nearly 16% more this year.
Good Morning Cleveland Anchor Mike Brookbank tagged along with a Northeast Ohio mom on her Target run to find ways we can send our students back to class without the added cost.
She helped us break down the A-B-Cs of back-to-school shopping
- "A" is for act.
"I have a feeling all that stuff is going to go pretty fast," said blogger Leah Artman.
- "B" for budget.
“I typically try not to add more to my budget and just try to shop smart," Artman said.
- "C" is for consignment.
"We all know that we go through clothes so fast with kiddos, so they get secondhand stuff, and it's totally high quality, and you can save a lot of money that way," said Artman.
Even though Artman wants to hold onto summer, in mid-July, retailers are reminding her the school bell will be ringing soon.
"Never expected to walk into Target and see all the back-to-school stuff," said Artman.
However, the mother of four is getting a head start with a mission to save some money. And she's not alone.
A recently released back-to-school shopping report shows parents are starting earlier this year, with 60% already checking things off their list. And a whopping 70% of them are looking for sales and deals.
"It's hard to find a one-stop shop," said Artman.
One way Artman likes to save is by taking advantage of loyalty programs like Target Circle.
"They have lots of deals and coupons that are exclusive to that program, and you can find a lot of good deals that way," said Artman.
In order to tap into the biggest discounts, Artman is preparing to hit up several different stores, including Walmart, which is locking in 2022 prices to help parents hold on to more of their cash.
"All the prices from last year will apply this year, which can save people a lot of money," said Artman.
When it comes to looking dapper on day one, don't overlook outfits from consignment shops, which Artman says is much different than thrifting.
"It's all the gently used clothes that you can get for so much cheaper. I find a lot of good deals that way," said Artman.
Deals that take a bit of the sting out of that back-to-school shopping.
"Definitely like hundreds of dollars over the years saved doing consignment store shopping," said Artman.
That back-to-school shopping survey also revealed 55% of parents will budget more to accommodate higher prices for the same number of items they bought last year. Artman said she is not one of them. She plans to work a bit harder to find sales to keep her costs down.
