Higher cost of living proves challenging for back-to-school shoppers
There may be a month left of school-holidays, but many families are preparing now for the start of term one, including buying the essential education items for their children. But with cost-of-living pressures at an all-time high - charities are bracing for a peak in demand for their services, particularly when students head back to the classroom.
Transcript
00:00 With a list and basket in hand, Elspeth Darcy sets off to find some of the 80 items she
00:07 needs for the start of the school term.
00:11 They range anywhere from pens to glue sticks to display books to calculators.
00:18 Rachel Midson is also getting her children their back to school items. With her youngest
00:24 going into kindy this year, she's noticed the price tag getting higher.
00:29 The two of them together is a fair bit.
00:32 With the cost of living already high, paying for school essentials is putting extra strain
00:37 on some family budgets.
00:39 For parents who are trying to make every dollar stretch as far as it can, sometimes when kids
00:46 are going back to school it means that they compromise on their meals, other items of
00:51 their daily living.
00:52 The St Vincent de Paul Society experienced unprecedented demand for emergency relief
00:58 last year and expects the same in 2024 as school expenses add up.
01:05 It's not only an increase in the number of people who are calling on us for support,
01:09 it's also in many instances a more complex circumstance that requires greater time and
01:14 support.
01:16 Some people are turning to no interest loan schemes, also referred to as NEELs, to help
01:21 with the cost of school uniforms, books and devices.
01:26 Getting it out of Christmas and then having upfront costs around the start of the school
01:31 year, that's the big thing. If these items were needed spread out through the year, families
01:36 can manage that.
01:38 Other parents are using social media to find ways to save money.
01:42 Our particular school has different Facebook groups where the parents sort of share what
01:46 they need and that sort of stuff so you can do a bit of swapping and selling and sharing
01:50 between families which does tend to cut down the cost.
01:55 Learning lessons about classroom budgeting.
01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]