The return to school is not only a stage of new beginnings but also a great challenge for our pockets, being one of the biggest investments of the year to the parents. The September cost It becomes very hard for families with school-age children, especially if we talk about large families.
Textbooks, school supplies, clothing, uniforms, transportation, dining and extracurricular activities add up too heavy for most Spanish families. Getting ahead of shopping and comparing prices are the advice given by consumer organizations to save on going back to school, but How much will parents spend on going back to school?
Between 400 and 800 euros per child
If we talk about figures, according to a study by the idealo.es price comparator, this year families will have to pay some 407.84 euros per child only in basic expenses, such as backpack, slippers, stationery, tracksuit and books. This figure represents an increase of five percent compared to 2016.
In addition to the initial expenses, if we add the annual tuition, dining, schooling and transportation expenses, the Consumer Organization (OCU) the average expenditure per child for the 2017/2018 academic year will be about 1,212 euros per year. However, it is an average since the cost of public school students is around 840 euros while that of private and concerted schools is 1,856 euros for the former and 4,086 euros for the latter.
For its part, the Confederation of Associations of Parents of Students (Ceapa), places the average expenditure in 500 euros, and the Cetelem Observatory, based on a survey of 1,000 people, calculates an average of 239 euros and highlights that this amount is much higher for 20% of respondents, reaching almost 800 euros outlay.
Textbooks, the biggest expense
Most of the expense is borne by textbooks, which are carried around 40 percent of the budget. The key is to compare prices in all the places where we can buy them, both online shopping and in stores. Amazon has a textbook sales service with very competitive prices, but despite this it is still the heaviest expense on the balance.
To alleviate the expense a little, you can use the purchase of second-hand textbooks, which can be purchased through various internet platforms, as well as in some bookstores (Casa del Libro offers the option of buying used and Amazon).
One of the main complaints of parents is that most textbooks, cannot be reused from previous years, since the publishers renew them each course having to disburse large numbers even having textbooks that they could inherit from siblings or acquaintances.
However, in some communities such as Andalusia a book exchange system works, while other communities do not invest a cent and others have a support system. In Madrid they have announced that textbooks will be free from next year 2018-2019, which will lighten the overall cost of going back to school for our children.
Although there are those who believe that textbooks will tend to disappear, but for now they remain the heaviest load in the backpack, in every sense.
More about the Back to School 2017-2018
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