Many schools on the Central Coast are preparing for students to head back to the classrooms, so parents and students are stocking up on school supplies.
Local fourth grader Kataleya told KSBY News, "School stuff has been really expensive."
Mother of two Charul Patel agreed, "Oh yeah, it is so expensive now."
Last year, KSBY calculated the cost of the third-grade school supply list from one San Luis Obispo elementary school. It amounted to about $80. This time around, the cart cost close to $120.
Shoppers told us they do plan to keep their school shopping to a minimum
"I am going to buy less," Patel said.
"Less, because I have so much school supplies at my house," Kataleya said. But she is excited about one school purchase, "Backpacks probably, probably just that."
It is not just K-12 students preparing, college students are in need of supplies as well.
Miguel De Real is a rising senior at Cal Poly and said he did have a budget this year.
“Inflation is going up, so I got to spend a little more on everything," said De Real.
If families are struggling to pay for supplies this year, there are a couple of options to help.
Local organizations are providing supplies and clothes for students in need, like The Children's Resource Network of the Central Coast and The Estero Bay Kindness Coalition.
