CHEEKTOWAGA N.Y. — With the current rise in the cost of back-to-school supplies, families are hunting for the cheapest way to send their child back to school with everything that they need while not breaking the bank.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of all goods is up 3.2% from last July.
I went on a back-to-school shopping spree at the Cheektowaga Target, Office Depot, and Amazon on the hunt for three of the most commonly needed classroom items to hopefully find the place with the best prices.
Here’s what I found.
Target:
| 1 subject notebook: | $2.99 |
| 2-inch binder: | $4.99 |
| Pencils: | $1.79 for 8 ($0.22/pencil) |
Office Depot:
| 1 subject notebook: | $1.00 (on sale) |
| 2-inch binder: | $7.99 |
| Pencils: | $5.29 for 12 ($0.44/pencil) |
Amazon:
| 1 subject notebook: | $6.45 |
| 2-inch binder: | $4.99 |
| Pencils: | $10.79 for 48 ($0.22/pencil) |
"It’s great for kids to show up on the first day of school totally confident and prepared and ready to go, having a backpack of supplies sets the tone for the rest of the year,” said Crystal Selk, West Side Community Services executive director. “But everything is expensive right now.”
Director of the Teacher's Desk, a free store distributing school supplies to western New York students, John Mika said that even with rising inflation costs, the need for school supplies in our area has only increased.
“When we started Teacher’s Desk 11 years ago the need was great. It’s even greater today. You need the basic supplies, and if you don’t have them, you don’t have a chance.”
