Last year, the pandemic disrupted ‘Back to school’ traditions for most of us. It shifted focus from imminent purchases of backpacks and lunch bags to masks, extra monitors and comfortable chairs. This year, we are seeing a mix of old and new traditions – backpacks and face masks while still maintaining data speed at home in case the school switches to remote without much notice. In my home, we usually wait until the school announces new class teams and then hit Staples to buy some notebooks, cool colored pens and pencils – one can never have enough mechanical pencils, even though most learning is on Chromebooks. Do you have a favorite back to school tradition?
With the return to in-person classes, total back-to-school spending in the US will hit a record $37.1 billion this year, up from $33.9 billion in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $848.90 on school supplies, a $59 increase over last year. And don’t forget, we are still in a pandemic which means shortage of things and, they are costing more than the previous years. One Cincinnati-area Walmart reported running out of Disney backpacks (gasp!)
Back-to-school isn’t just for school age students. As a life-time learner, I enjoy going back to basics in the field of personal finance to learn new things. I will certainly be reporting back what I learn in the September edition of this newsletter. Speaking of learning new things or brushing up on the basics, checkout our Fall offerings containing a few of the classics such as the Women and Investing series and a brand-new offering – Investing in Cryptocurrencies. Along with these, we will continue to offer youth programming via our partner Outschool. Full details of all programs also available on the website - Programs | Finhive