Cutting back

Sophomore Kym Pagel is on a back-to-school budget.

She’s not buying notebooks this year, because she still has paper in the ones she used last semester. She’s shopping for her textbooks online, hoping to find cheaper prices than at local bookstores. And she’s scouring shelves at discount retailers Target and Wal-Mart, looking for deals.

Pagel’s frugality reflects a trend this season: College students are skimping on their back-to-school spending.

The average student is expected to spend a little more than $599 on supplies this year, down from $640 last year, according to a report from the National Retail Federation, a trade group.

Kathy Grannis, the foundation’s media relations manager, said back-to-school purchases usually increase year to year. But because of rising costs, many students are focusing only on the necessities this year.

“Instead of investing in a new cell phone, MP3 player or laptop, parents may encourage their child to use what they already have,” she said. “Families won’t really invest on new, big purchases this year.”

For her part, Pagel said she did splurge on one item – a $600 laptop she bought at Best Buy.

“It was the cheapest thing I could get that was still decent,” she said.

But despite the predicted decrease in sales, local businesses expect this back-to-school season to be fairly good, said Grant Monahan, president of the Indiana Retail Council. He said many retailers are working hard to keep prices low. Plus, many students will buy their supplies, no matter the cost, he said.

“Students get a laundry list of what their teachers want them to have,” he said. “When you go back to school, you’re required to buy things – calculators, textbooks, a laptop – all kinds of stuff. There’s not much discretion there.”

Retailers agree. At Bloomington Hardware, 2700 E. Covenanter Drive, store owner Vickie Davison said she isn’t worried about the expected decrease in consumer spending during this back-to-school season.

“We joke that it’s our Christmas,” she laughed.

She said her store is stocked with items on sale ­– cleaning supplies, fans, heaters and housing necessities – in preparation for students.

To save money, Grannis and Monahan both encourage students to be “wise” consumers and to look for deals at department stores. They also suggest shopping around for textbooks through third-party sellers.

Monahan said textbooks are a struggle for students because publishing companies determine the cost of books, not retailers.

“But you need to buy textbooks,” he said, “so you need to shop around and look for the best price.”

IU students side with Monahan, expecting textbooks to be an expensive purchase for this year’s back-to-school season.

Junior Justin Riegsecker expressed concern with the cost of his books, especially after moving to a new place.

“Gas was very expensive,” he said. “It was hard for me to rent a U-Haul.”

Davison sympathizes with her customers and said they can save money by repairing instead of replacing during these times.

“People can reduce, reuse and recycle,” she said. “The economic times are hard, but it’s a good motivator for people that wouldn’t take the time to repair something before. You can make something work instead of replacing it.”

Other students said they’re more concerned with the overall cost of attendance than the cost of basic supplies.

Incoming freshman Gi Song said he is strapped for cash after moving into a new apartment, but isn’t concerned with purchasing his supplies. His main worry, he said, is simply how he’ll pay for tuition. 

“It will cost me about $100,000 to stay here for four years,” he said, shaking his head.