Shortly after the start of the new school year, many families have already begun to buy the material so that the children are ready for the first day of school. New course with an added challenge: it will be the most expensive return to school in history, which forces us to look for options to save to alleviate the cost of September somewhat.
According to a study by the price comparator Idealo.es, the cost of going back to school exceeds an average of 449 euros per child, 14% more than two years ago, before the rise in prices and inflation began due to the war of Ukraine. Compared to last year, spending grew by 5.6%.
Most of this money goes to buy textbooks, 309 euros on average, an increase of 19% compared to 2021. The second largest expense in school supplies is stationery -notebooks, pens, markers…-, with an average of 48 euros per child, another 19% more in two years.
“It is the most expensive year for school supplies since we made the report,” says Kike Aganzo, from Idealo. The online financial product comparison company Banqmi also affirms that it is the year with the highest prices since they have records. Although prices continue to rise, from both comparators it is clear that the big rise was in the past year.
The Idealo study also indicates that in Spain the average price of a textbook is 22.15 euros, the most expensive in Europe. They are closely followed by Italy and France with around 21.54 and 20.94 euros respectively. In Germany they are 30% cheaper, with an average price of 16.98 euros.
Aganzo recommends digitalization as a method to save. Digital textbooks cost almost 50% less than physical ones, about 158 ??euros on average.
The calculation also includes about 33 for footwear, 30 euros for a backpack and 25 for a tracksuit. All rise over last year, 3.1%, 4.1% and 17% respectively.
Banqmi assures in its study that uniforms are also more expensive, the price having increased by 1.39%, with an average cost of 225 euros. Antonio Gallardo, financial expert of the comparator, explains that “they are mandatory in almost all private schools, in most subsidized schools and increasingly in public schools, even if it is only in tracksuits for physical education.”
Facua’s spokesman, Rubén Sánchez, complains about the little control that there is on the part of the Ministry of Education and the regional councils over publishers given the increase in the cost of school books. He denounces that publishers are allowed to make insignificant changes in the edition to force students and centers to have to buy new books, which is not classified as infringement or consumer fraud.
“There should be control protocols to precisely urge school boards not to include textbooks from publishers that engage in these abusive practices and clearly in the sole pursuit of profit,” Sánchez proposes.
To deal with the high prices, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) advises buying in advance to take advantage of the offers on clothing and stationery that are still in force due to the sales, find out about free book programs in schools and go shopping without the children, to prevent the budget from getting out of control by buying unnecessary things.
The purchase of second-hand material is an increasingly recurring option to save on going back to school, according to the portal dedicated to the second-hand market Milanuncios, with a constantly growing trend. An analysis carried out by the same platform shows that in July the demand for textbooks increased by 166% compared to the previous month. There has also been a growth of interest in used school uniforms. The male ones had 8.7% more visits in July than in June and the demand for the female ones has increased by 7% year-on-year.
“Buying and selling second-hand school supplies provides significant savings. It also contributes to reducing waste and encourages the responsible reuse of resources, with benefits for both sellers and buyers,” says Iñigo Vallejo, spokesperson for Milanuncios.
