Parents admit they’d resort to ‘dumpster diving’ & stealing from work to save money on back-to-school supplies
DESPERATE parents admit they will go to extreme measures to save money on school supplies for their children.
As families struggle with rising inflation, parents have admitted that they are willing to go dumpster diving and steal from work to get their kids the supplies they need for school.
Money-saving hacks parents have relied on include purchasing school supplies only whenever they are on sale and shopping at multiple stores to find the best deal, a survey has revealed.
The survey was carried out on 2,000 U.S. parents who had kids in elementary school (and had access to the internet).
It was commissioned by The Krazy Coupon Lady and carried out by Talker Research.
“The reality is, parents are worried about what back-to-school shopping costs look like this year,” said Joanie Demer, co-founder and co-CEO at The Krazy Coupon Lady.
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“We’re seeing parents embracing getting creative with their budgeting.
"It’s clear that they want to save as much as possible when they prepare their kids for school — and that shouldn’t be a chore for them to do.”
“There’s a number of things parents can do to beat the costs," Demer said.
“Start by comparing prices before you purchase, waiting for a sale, and paying attention to the clearance shelves. Parents deserve to have as many resources as they can gather to support their wallets and their peace of mind," she explained.
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Many other parents said they would try to save money by wilder means.
How are parents staying under budget?
Parents are willing to go to extremes to save money when purchasing school supplies for their kids return to school.
- Purchasing school supplies whenever they go on sale
- Shopping at multiple stores to find the best deal
- Saving school supplies throughout the year
- Shopping exclusively when there's a deal
- Extreme couponing
- Looking for half-used items around the house
- Joining buy-nothing groups on social media
- Trading supplies with other parents
- Dumpster diving
These included hoarding school supplies throughout the year, extreme couponing, and trading supplies with other parents.
Parents also said they would look for half-used items around the house.
Shockingly, 5% of parents who took part in the poll said they would go dumpster diving to find school supplies for free.
What's more, over 200 parents admitted to stealing supplies from their workplace to give to their kids.
Many parents believe that the cost of school supplies has increased in the past year, particularly for uniforms, according to the survey.
Parents said they expect to spend a steep $280 on average on supplies this year.
While they would prefer their kids to shop for their own supplies, many parents believe they would spend the money on candy and games instead.
Parents are concerned that their kids are too materialistic.
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It seems that children want name-brand school supplies rather than cheaper alternatives.
According to some parents, their kids want to be kitted out with Stanley tumblers, Nike Jordans, and Under Armour backpacks when they return to school.
