Inflation is having a big impact on back-to-school shopping. According to Finance Buzz, 47% of parents say it's having an effect. Twenty-eight percent say back-to-school shopping expenses are putting financial stress on their family.
So we've got some ways families can get discounts and even freebies for the fall.
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Five hundred and twenty-seven dollars is the average that families are expected to spend on back-to-school shopping.
That's a big chunk, so think about taking advantage of the upcoming sales tax holiday in New Jersey. It begins on Saturday, August 27, and continues through Labor Day, September 5.
Eligible items include computers costing less than $3,000, art and school supplies, instructional materials and sport or recreational equipment.
And now that the summer travel season is winding down, you might be wondering how to occupy your kids close to home once school begins.
"Prices going up have affected us making any kind of decisions, and trying to figure out what can we do that's free, cheap, easy, and close by," said Olgica Pilla.
There are things you can do to keep little ones entertained, often at no cost to families, like going to a museum.
"If you receive SNAP benefits, you can get free or reduced admission to over 900 museums through a program called "Museums for All". And if you have a library card, many libraries offer free passes to museums in your city," said Brian Vines of Consumer Reports.
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How about taking the kids to a live event, using sites like Eventbrite and Allevents.in, you can find free concerts or classes, like a kids break dancing class.
Or maybe you'd like to teach your kids to give back. You can find local volunteer opportunities that the family can do together through VolunteerMatch.org.
On a rainy day, using sites like Kanopy and Hoopla, you can access loads of movies and TV shows for free with just your library card.
You can access both on multiple streaming devices, and buying a device doesn't have to break the bank. CR says the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a good value at $55.
By the way, New Jersey's sales tax holiday applies to items bought both in-store and online.