Prepare To Pay Big Bucks On Back To School Supplies And Fees

I used to love back to school shopping – when I wasn’t paying for it!  Not so much as a parent paying the bills.  Still, it does bring back a lot of great memories and Kate loves it too .

Pencils, crayons, backpacks and scissors are part of the pile parents will be buying as a new school year closes in.

The new Backpack Index survey is out, and all those school supplies add up fast!  Yahoo News reports the average elementary school kid's supplies for this year will run $649.  Seem high? YES it seems high!

For middle school students it's $941; and for high school kids it's $1,402. The data is based on classroom-supply lists from schools in six states, and assumes that parents would shop for "moderately priced items at online retailers."

Those must be some pricey pencils, no?  Aside from the usual items kids need, things like instrument rentals, sports and field trip fees are also taken into account.

The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a total  of 68-billion-dollars for back-to-school supplies this year. (Yahoo)