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BY SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS
The Wichita Eagle
SAVE ON SCHOOL SHOPPING
Back-to-school time can quickly drain a family’s budget. Some cost-cutting tips:
The first month or two of school still feels like summer. Rather than invest in new fall clothes, dress kids in comfy summer outfits. For something new, shop endof- season sales.
Shop thrift stores, dollar stores, online auctions and consignment sales (see a list of local ones alongside this story) for deals on clothing and sports equipment.
Right now, discount and office supply stores are offering their best prices of the year on school supplies. Buy enough to last all year.
Don’t overspend on supplies. Get your child’s list at enrollment, and stick to it. Go through last year’s supplies to see which ones are still usable. If the calculator still works and the pocket dictionary is in good shape, you don’t need a new one.
Spread out your shopping. Head into fall with a handful of new items. After the holiday season, take advantage of post-holiday sales to do another wave of school shopping.
Sources: Dollar Stretcher newsletter (www.stretcher.com), LivingOnADime.com
CONSIGNMENT SALES
Looking for good deals on back-to-school clothes? Mark these upcoming consignment sales on your calendar:• Mulberry Bush, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m.-noon Aug. 2. Sedgwick County Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. Free. For information, www.mbcsale.com.
• Just Between Friends, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Aug. 8; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 9; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 10. Twin Lakes Shopping Center, 21st and Amidon.Admission is $2 the first day, but free-admission coupons are available on the Web site and at local businesses. For information, http://wichita.jbfsale.com.
• Twice is Nice, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 4-5; 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 6. Sedgwick County Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. Free. For information, www.twiceisnicewichita.com.
• Britches and Lace, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 18; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 19; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 20. Wholesale Fireworks Building, southeast corner of Kellogg and 159th East. Free. For information, http://britchesandlace.com.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR NEEDY FAMILIES
KAKE-TV, Channel 10, is leading a drive to collect supplies for grade school students in the Wichita area. The annual project, KAKE's School Supply Landslide, runs through Aug. 24.
Donated school items can be dropped off at KAKE-TV studios, 1500 N. West St., or any of the seven area Credit Union of America locations: 711 W. Douglas; 3605 N. Rock Road; 10222 E. Harry; 212 S. Ridge Road; 5055 S. Broadway; Via Christi-St. Francis; and 620 N. Broadway, Derby.
Monetary donations also are accepted. Checks should be made out to the Salvation Army, with "School Supply Landslide" noted on the memo line.
The Salvation Army distributes donated supplies to parents and students in Sedgwick County. For information about eligibility, call 316-263-2769.
Other sponsors include The Wichita Eagle, Radio Disney 1480-AM, Arby's and Wichita public schools.
This year, many plan to spend less on clothes and other items
When a tank of gas costs $50, the new Barbie backpack may have to wait. Local families, their budgets pinched by high prices for gasoline, food and utilities, say they will approach this year's back-to-school shopping with an eye toward cutting costs and making do.
"We're definitely feeling it," said Stephanie Simmon, a Maize mother of three.
"I'm really looking at our backpacks, winter coats, things like that. I'll try to get one or maybe even two more years out of them, handing them down."
Simmon also plans to shop local consignment sales and discount stores and spread her purchases over several weeks, strategies recent surveys say will be popular among families with school-age kids.
Ninety percent of consumers say they will change the way they shop for back-to-school items this year, according to a national survey from Deloitte, a consulting agency.
Almost three-fourths of families surveyed said they will spend less on back-to-school items this year than last. About 83 percent said they will cut back on clothes spending. And 70 percent said they will buy "only what the family needs."
Another survey released this week by the National Retail Federation shows that some families have held on to at least part of their economic stimulus checks and plan to use the money for back-to-school purchases, including computers and cell phones.
"With the economy being what it is, many were speculating that certain (back-to-school) categories would be flat, if not down," said Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.
"But we're not seeing it.... Some families received their rebate checks as recently as a week ago, and they could see that as back-to-school spending money."
Even so, Grannis said, consumers are shopping smarter and earlier, taking advantage of special promotions and free-shipping offers from online retailers.
According to the retail federation survey, almost one-fourth of back-to-school shoppers plan to buy online, compared to just over one-fifth last year.
"With gas at $4 a gallon, it makes a lot more sense for consumers to get online and see where the best bargains are before they get in the car and hit four stores in a day," Grannis said.
High gas prices may prompt more people to shop thrift stores and consignment sales as well, in search of name-brand clothing below retail prices.
Joanna Parks, an organizer of next week's Mulberry Bush consignment sale in Wichita, says she expects plenty of customers looking for back-to-school bargains.
"I'm an avid garage-saler, but with these gas prices, you can't really drive all around town," Parks said. "With this sale, you come to one place, and you know you can save a lot of money."
The Mulberry Bush sale is the first of four consignment sales to be held in Wichita over the next two months. All will target back-to-school shoppers, offering children's clothing, shoes and sports equipment, as well as baby and toddler items.
According to the retail federation survey, back-to-college spending is expected to drop 7 percent this year, from an average of about $642 per person last year to $599 this year.
"College students are learning a hard lesson -- that when economic times are tough, fun purchases take a back seat," said Tracy Mullin, president of the National Retail Federation.
College students will still buy school supplies, she said, but likely will scale back on clothing, shoes, electronics and dorm furnishings.
Simmon, the Maize mom, said she still plans to spend plenty on back-to-school supplies for her daughters, ages 5, 7 and 9.
But she's shopping sales and buying a bit at a time -- shoes one week, backpacks the next -- to avoid sudden shocks to the family's budget. She also swaps kids' clothes with a neighbor.
"I haven't really bought anything, clothes-wise, for school yet, because I know it's going to be hot until the end of September," she said. "We'll get what we really need, and wait on the rest."
Reach Suzanne Perez Tobias at 316-268-6567 or stobias@wichitaeagle.com.
