KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Half of all parents are cutting back on other expenses to pay for back-to-school shopping, according to a survey by Deloitte.
I talked with two Kalamazoo moms — sisters — with kids getting ready for the school year. I met them at Bronson Park enjoying a summer lunch with their kids.
Kryssy Vinson said the numbers add up.
"That makes sense. And I can see the math mathing in a few different households that way. Because, you have to be conscious. Especially with prices rising. It's just something you don't think about. It makes sense to be strategic about it," Vinson said.
The sisters shared their strategies for keeping costs down, including heading to Detroit or Chicago for lower prices and choosing function over fashion.
"We like to shop in bulk," Vinson said.
"We've been able to pull from our stockpile of things we collected over the years," Vinson said.
Sister Courtney Vinson said she keeps it simple.
"I'm somebody, I keep it simple. It's a four subject type of class, type of school world, we need four folders, I get four folders. If I can get folders for 20 cents a piece that's great. I'm not going to go so extreme as to get a three dollar folder," Courtney Vinson said.
The Deloitte survey found parents plan to spend $557 per child on back-to-school shopping on average. Spending caution persists, with more than half of people expecting economic conditions to worsen over the next six months, the survey found.
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