Back-to-school sales signal end of summer fun

Deck the halls with boughs of Mead paper, fa la la la la, la, la, la. 'Tis the season to buy glue sticks, fa la la la la, la, la, la la.

It's Christmas in August for store clerks planning back-to-school sales -- and a celebrated season for parents, as they get their children ready for school.

"It seems like there is an endless list of things my kids 'have to have' again this year," said Angela Yern, who has two children, ages 13 and 7, getting ready to go back to school early next month. "That's where the real money is spent -- in trying to keep up with what is popular this year."

Yern feels the frustration many parents experience when trying to shop with their children for school supplies -- from new jeans to pens and paper. The economics of shopping are secondary in the students' minds, but first and foremost for the parents. Achieving balance isn't always easy, either, as compromise isn't a theory usually learned by students until well into their adult lives, it seems.

"We try to concede on some things, and other things aren't negotiable with us," Yern said. "I'm not going to spend a couple dollars on a fancy pen when you can buy a pack of 10 regular pens for a buck. They write the same, and who cares what your pen looks like? But I'll give a little when we are clothes shopping because I know how tough peer pressure can be.

"There are things my daughter wants and there is just no way I'm letting her out of the house in it," Yern said. "We try to meet in the middle. Shopping for clothes is a month-long disaster."

As her daughter tries on the must-have style this fall, Yern can look across the store and read the faces of every parent. Those faces say, "I understand. I'm in the same boat."

"I remember last year I was in Wal-Mart with my son getting some supplies and there was a mom there with her daughter who was probably 10 or 11," said Julie Huff, a mother of a 15-year-old. "And the girl was throwing a fit over something her mom told her she could not get, and I just laughed because I've been there, done that."

Huff said that while the list of things to buy to get students ready for school is long, it doesn't always have to be a major hit to the parents' bank accounts.

"I always, always, always watch for sales and do my shopping then, even if it is a month before school starts," Huff said. "But you have to pay attention, because sometimes, you can get the same thing cheaper at another store than the sale price at the store you're at."

Huff said another key to making the shopping easier is to start early, and don't try to cram everything into a day.

"If you see something on sale that you know your kid will need, buy it when it is on sale," Huff said. "It's a lot easier if you do it in stages rather than wait for one day. Everybody gets cranky then, and you don't get anything accomplished," Huff said.

From protractors to paste, from compasses to crayons, shopping for supplies can be a never-ending task.

"Sometimes I wonder about the teachers making these lists, because half the time, at the end of the school year, my kids come home with brand-new everything because they didn't use them," Yern said. "If the teachers had to buy the supplies, I'm sure the list would be a lot smaller than they are."

When the shopping is finally done and the doors open to the schools, Yern knows everything will be worked out.

"It'll get done and then we won't have to worry about it for another year," she said.

Supply shopping can be year's first lesson -- in economics

As summer draws to a close, parents and teens alike will be hitting the stores for back-to-school shopping. From paper and pens to notebooks and backpacks, there's no shortage of items to spend money on during the autumn buying blitz.

This annual rite of fall is the perfect opportunity for parents to teach their kids about the fundamentals of budgeting.

"With teens making budgeting and purchasing decisions alongside their parents, the act of back-to-school shopping helps build openness with money issues," said Diana Don, director of financial education at Capital One.

According to Capital One's second annual back-to-school supply survey, parents will spend an average of $97 on school supplies this year -- down from $118 last year. Although teens plan to contribute an additional $45 to the overall budget, 44 percent of parents still feel pressure to spend in excess of the family's back-to-school budget.

Luckily for parents, 77 percent of teens in the survey say they just buy the basic things they need for school; however, 16 percent say they want to be trendsetters, having all the newest, coolest items.

Most in demand by students heading back to the classrooms this year are frosted three-ring binders, gel roller pens, "The Osbournes" backpacks, neon "Dr. Grip" pens, jelly pens and sparkle pencils -- all items that cost more than than other items that do essentially the same thing at sometimes half the price.

"Building the budget together offers an opportunity for parents to encourage their teen to contribute their own money to help fill the gap between the 'I needs' and the 'I wants,'" said Dara Duguay, executive director of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a nonprofit group dedicated to raising financial literacy among young adults.

Nearly all teenagers in the survey (93 percent) said they learn about money management from their family at home. While more than half the teens surveyed have a savings account, only about one in nine have a checking account. Only a small number of teens indicated that they have ever taken a complete course in economics or money management.

"The average high-school graduate lacks basic skills in personal finance management, from managing a budget to balancing a checkbook," says Duguay. "It is important for parents to encourage their teens to enroll in Personal Finance courses offered at school as well as supplement their teen's curriculum with day-to-day lessons in saving, budgeting and spending, to ensure their financial success."

This article is courtesy of ARA Content.