Price of school supplies leads to sticker shock for some Vancouver Island parents
Stephanie Won is the mother of two children on Vancouver Island, aged 10 and 13. With a new school year fast approaching, she’s been busy.
"I’m a planner so I start early," Won told CTV News on Tuesday.
This early planner has experienced sticker shock when shopping for school supplies.
"We’re seeing prices are a little bit higher," she said. "I’m expecting that they’ll probably get higher to come."
Won isn’t the only mom who got an early start this year.
Tami Brown, the mother of two school-aged children, says she's done buying school supplies "except for three glue sticks."
With school supplies out of the way, Brown's focus is on back-to-school clothes.
"We’re doing less this year than we usually would do," she said.
TIPS ON SAVING FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES
In June, B.C.'s inflation rate sat at nearly 8 per cent.
"Everything is getting more and more expensive as we go," said Anne Arbour, director of strategic partnerships with the Credit Counselling Society.
The Credit Counselling Society has some tips to save a few dollars as prices continue to rise.
"It’s having a game plan and planning ahead because when you run things last minute, you’re searching for convenience, that gets very expensive," said Arbour.
(File Photo)
Arbour also suggests carpooling with other parents in the neighbourhood to save on gas, and to speak with friends about clothing in case they have children of different ages that you could trade clothes with.
As for school supplies, she suggests downloading an app call "Flipp," which shows you all the flyers in your neighbourhood.
COMMUNITY GROUPS
On Walmart.ca, CTV News looked into the school supply list for Grade Two students in the Greater Victoria School District. The grand total came to $118.41.
That number is out of reach for many families, which is why some community groups are trying to fill in the gap.
"We run a back-to-school backpack program. We’ve been doing this for many years," said Sarah Downey, executive director of the 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre.
That organization provides a new backpack, filled with supplies to those families that are struggling to make ends meet. That need continues to grow every year.
"Last year was our highest year, and this year has matched that," said Downey. "It might even be higher, I’m not sure where the waiting list is now."
Backpacks at the 1Up Single Parent Resource Centre in Victoria, B.C., are pictured. (CTV News)
This year, 300 backpacks are ready to go out. If more donations come in, more families will get access to the program.
Back at the park in Langford, parents are doing their best to make their dollar go a little further.
"I sacrifice things that I want for my kids," said Brown.
It’s a choice that some parents may have to make as the price of almost everything continues to climb, with a new school year fast approaching.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.