2023-08-27 20:30:03
JuFagundes / Getty Images back to school trade
JuFagundes / Getty Images
“We recycle what we can from one child to another, but we can’t always” says Helena
BACK TO SCHOOL – 10% inflation on school supplies since July 2022. This is what UFC-Que Choisir announced this summer, while in supermarkets, prices do not seem to be falling. A tense economic context that forces many families to be extra vigilant regarding back-to-school expenses in order to stay afloat, with or without a back-to-school bonus.
Pour Le HuffPostHelena* agreed to take stock of her family’s income and the expenses generated by the return of her three children aged 14 to 21, who represent more than a month’s net salary for her and her spouse.
Monthly household income: €3641
Total expenses for the start of the school year: 3655 €
Clothing costs for the three children: €1,400
Fee for three children’s books: €700
School supplies for the three children: €550
Average cost per child: €1,218.3
“We prefer to deprive ourselves rather than cut corners on their studies”
Helena considers herself part of a “struggling middle class”. As a couple, she and her partner receive €3,500 per month in salary: €1,700 for her, as integration officer, and €2,200 for her decorator husband. They receive €141 in family allowances. After increases in income, for the first time this year, they will not receive the back-to-school allowance which until now has helped them by around €600.
On a daily basis, life is expensive for the family and parents tend to tighten their belts. “We are not going to cry over our fate but purchasing power is a real question, explains the insertion officer. Everything increases, except our salaries. In five years, I went from shopping for €70 a week to €150 – and I buy everything at Lidl. »
She estimates that once all the family expenses have been paid, they now have around €300 left to live on. “Not enough to multiply the small pleasures”, she sighs. So, faced with this rising cost of living, Helena and her spouse choose to prioritize their children’s studies over outings or entertainment. “We prefer to deprive ourselves of different things rather than see them cutting back on their studies. We want to respect their desires, their ambitions and never have to tell them ‘You won’t be able to pass this degree because it’s too expensive’ »
“The higher you go in the level of education, the more expensive it is”
The most expensive beginning of the school year is that of his eldest. Aged 21, she will enter a master’s degree this year but does not yet know which one, as certain admission procedures are still in progress. What is certain is that it will imply for her to move to another city. Helena and her companion plan to spend €300 per month on their daughter’s rent. “Her grandparents help her a little, and she works in the summer to have some leeway in her daily life during the school year”, explains the mother.
For her return to school, Helena spent €150 on stationery and noticed a sharp increase in prices. “ Even basics like pencils have become horribly expensive”. She also counted 300 € of school books, and 200 € of registration fees, an amount which she has seen increasing since the beginning of her daughter’s studies – which is confirmed especially for the CVEC.
She also plans a budget of €400 for back-to-school clothes, shoes or accessories, as well as around €40 per month for her transport costs. For their daughter’s return to school, expenses for Helena and her spouse amount to €1,400, in addition to future monthly expenses.
Expensive and poor quality school supplies
Her second child is 17. He is studying for a professional baccalaureate in the medical sector and would like to become a nurse. To be able to practice in his field, he needs several specific professional clothes: pants and t-shirts, the cost of which she describes as « exorbitant ». As her son is growing, she foresees that he will change “at least once a year” both for professional clothing and for everyday clothing and footwear. The clothing budget for this return, for his son, amounts to 600 €.
She then counted 200 € of school supply costs, of which she deplores the drop in quality. “Whatever the price you put on it, it’s junk. So we buy in larger quantities, to plan for replacements. »
The parental couple also spent €300 on books needed to train their son. For this item of expenditure, their purchases amount to a little higher than what the school requires: “In the professional baccalaureate, the exercise manuals can help to go further than what they see in the internship, there are practical cases… I prefer that he does not feed on the minimum, so we tend to buy a lot of books at the start of the school year: we buy those that are compulsory, but also those that are recommended. »
Hosted in boarding school, the registration of his son cost him 235 €. Its return therefore costs 1,435 €, to which will be added in the year 90 € of transport costs for a double subscription TER/city transport and the 10 € of monthly insurance.
“We try to recycle as much as possible”
It is for his youngest son that the re-entry fees are the lowest. This year, he will be entering third grade in the public college in his area and for him too, the cost of school supplies is high.
“We tried to recycle as much as possible: we recovered notebooks from his eldest by tearing out the pages, for example. Because there can be several notebooks per subject, so it quickly takes on phenomenal proportions, explains Helena detailing her purchases. There are also teachers who may have special requirements, for example, a pen of each color instead of a more economical single four-color. »
In all, she counted 200 € for supplies, as well as 100 € for exercise books in modern languages or the books on the program. “I find them in our library or I go buy them used. But often, we get yelled at by teachers because we don’t have the right edition with the right annotations, and sometimes that forces us to buy them back. It is very frustrating. » She specifies.
800 € approximately for a return to 3rd grade
Few products can be passed on from one child to another: some break, others become obsolete because programs change. “None of my three children took the same certificate! » emphasizes Helena. Her son being in full growth, she bought €400 worth of back-to-school clothes and accessories, including sportswear. To save money, she tries to get ahead and make these purchases during the sales period, but with a teenager of this age, “It’s haphazard luck, she says. Last year, I bought him jeans at the start of the June sales and by the start of the school year, they were already too small. “She also explains to avoid shopping online or on Vinted to avoid unpleasant surprises in terms of size, and to favor batch purchases and low-cost stores.
It also provides €110 per month for canteen costs and €10 per month for insurance. For the youngest of the three children, the return to school will have cost 820 €.
If we add the back-to-school expenses to be paid in one go and the first occurrences of monthly costs (rent, transport, insurance, etc.), this 2023 back-to-school for three children will cost Helena and her partner €3,655. A substantial budget that exceeds their salaries, and that they try to anticipate throughout the year. “We put aside every month to have what it takes at the start of the school year, even if it’s complicated”, details the insertion charge. But they never talk regarding these difficulties with their children. “We don’t want them to feel guilty regarding anything, especially not studying,” she concludes.
* The first name has been changed
Le HuffPost is looking for other testimonials during this back-to-school period. Want to share your inflation-proof re-entry fees? Write to us at [email protected]. Anonymity is possible.
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