Back-to-school on a budget: Parents clipping coupons, hitting thrift stores

It's just a few more days before classes begin in Tooele School District as Kari Scribner herds her three sons through Costco in Salt Lake City, looking for hot back-to-school deals.

Scribner, a stay-at-home mom in Tooele, gives each son $125 for school clothes — and they have to budget every penny. "I hope it teaches them the value of money," she said. Each boy gets a $10 bonus if he keeps within his budget.

The recession may mean less money for school supplies, but it hasn't changed the things kids want — like a new box of perfectly pointed crayons or a crisp pair of jeans.

And parents aren't forgoing the annual back-to-school shopping for school supplies and clothes, either — they're just being a little more careful with their back-to-school budgets and making cuts here and there.

Back-to-school shopping is expected to be down almost 8 percent this year, according to a survey released in July by the National Retail Federation based in Washington, D.C.

The average family with students in grades kindergarten through 12 is expected to spend $548.72 on school merchandise this year, a decline of 7.7 percent from $594.24 in 2008, according to the Federation survey.

Price check

The Deseret News checked prices of school supplies, as well as T-shirts and jeans, at myriad stores along the Wasatch Front from July 13 to Aug. 13.

Packages of crayons can be found for around a quarter at many stores, including Target, Wal-Mart and Walgreens.

Not surprisingly, Deseret Industries, 131 E. 700 South in Salt Lake City, had the cheapest clothes. T-shirts ranged from $2 to $4 with jeans from $4 to $8.

Some of the Deseret Industries jeans were out of style, with acid wash and pin stripes. But others were trendy and gently worn name brands including Ralph Lauren, Gap, Liz Claiborne, Lee and Levi — some with fancy embroidery and beading.

Other Deseret Industries jeans with rips and holes are simply in style right now. Similarly damaged jeans were priced in the $100 range at some stores in The Gateway.

Wal-Mart Faded Glory brand men's jeans were the cheapest find. The priciest discovered were $108 men's Guess jeans at Macy's in Layton.

Going hunting