Parents look for back-to-school savings as costs for supplies continue to rise

When it comes to school supplies, Ottawa high school student Sarah McGrath is all set to return to the classroom in September.

"I have some papers, a ruler, a calculator and eraser," McGrath said. 

"We don't have a lot to get this year so we're pretty much done," mom Cheryl said.

Many parents budget for the added expense of school supplies this time of year, but with the rising costs of food and housing it is getting harder.

"Parents want their child to feel brand new, a new sort of start of the year but it's difficult," retail analyst Bruce Winder said. "Consumers are buying essentials because they have to but they are buying much less."

A study from Deloitte suggests the cost of school supplies has increased 24 per cent over the last two years.

"I don't know how anyone can do it anymore, it’s really hard," Holly Patterson said.

She volunteered to do the shopping for Vanier Community Service Centre, who recently raised $700 to help families in desperate need of school supplies. Items include calculators, backpacks, pencils and notebooks. Patterson worries it will not be enough to meet the demand.

"I did those five to seven years ago; I bought about 30 backpacks, this time I could only do 12," Patterson said. "We wanted to buy thermoses, lunch bags. There was just no money left at the end of it."

As we inch closer to the school year, many parents are choosing to bite the bullet, hoping to check off as much as they can without breaking the bank.