Back-to-School Shopping: How Much Will You Spend?

Those 99-cent spiral notebooks really add up, apparently.

According to a 2013 Back-to-School shopping survey conducted by the National Retail Federation families with school-age children will spend an average $634.78 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics as they ready the little ones to return to the classroom this year.

And, that figure is actually DOWN from the 2012 average – $688.62.

The NRF says that total spending on school-age back-to-school needs is expected to reach $26.7 billion, with combined school-age and college-age shopping figures reaching about $72.5 billion.

In the end, the NRF says, that spending is down a tad from last year, indicating that back-to-school shoppers may be evaluating purchases a bit more critically. But, back-to-school shoppers are still spending more than they did a few years ago, and spending is good for the economy.

More on Back-to-School Shopping:
Back-to-School Shopping: When Do You Start?