JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If it seems like your children's school supply lists are getting longer, it's not your imagination. They are. "Lots of markers, crayons, glue sticks, just a lot of different things," said Britney Reganhart.
Time isn't the only thing running out for families preparing for school. Higher totals at the register means their money is too.
"We spent probably $150 just on school supplies and a backpack and lunchbox which doesn't seem like a lot but it adds up very quickly," she said.
Britney is one of millions of mothers who is having to buy more. And the things she buys aren't just for her daughter.
"That used to be the thing too. These were your glue sticks. These were your pencils. But not anymore. We share. It's a community so we all get what we need," said Sheryl Heymann.
Heymann is a middle school teacher who will spend hundreds of her own dollars for the new school year, but she says that's not enough anymore.
"Everybody's budget is less, including the parents. So we feel like if we can get it in at the beginning of the year, we can make it through the whole year," she said.
The National Retail Federation says the average family will spend just over $688 to get kids from kindergarten through high school. That is up from $603 last year.
"I haven't seen them all, but I don't think the lists are full of frivolous things. They are the things we use everyday," said Heymann. The average amount spent on school supplies nationally this year is $95.
