LUBBOCK, Texas — In 2024, EverythingLubbock.com looked at an example school supply list, the fourth-grade list for Slaton ISD’s Cathlene Thomas Elementary School, and did a virtual shopping trip at the top three school supply stores to see how much money you would be spending on your kids’ books and pencils.
With inflation having gone down slightly, we decided to take a look at how this year’s list would affect parents’ pockets in the South Plains area and what’s changed in the past year.
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It’s important to note before we continue, that school supply lists change every year as the needs of a school, classroom and teacher change. So, some of the items on last year’s list, like red pens and folders with pockets, aren’t on the list this year but other items, like a water bottle for students to leave at school, are.
It’s also important to note that not every item you buy is going straight towards your student. Many schools, just like Cathlene Thomas, use a Smal Learning Community model, or SLC, where students may have to help donate special items for whatever the teachers or school may need when they can’t afford it.
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We compared the prices of the least expensive school supplies at Target, Walmart and Office Depot and compared them to last year. After calculating the cost for all the items on this year’s list, we found that Office Depot’s shopping cart totaled $89.75, Target totaled $77.74 and Walmart was the least expensive with a total of $67.68
Last year’s totals still have Office Depot as the most expansive location with a total of $100.16, but Walmart and Target have switched places. Last year, Target was the most cost-effective store to shop at with a total of $79.33 and a total for Walmart of $92.29…