Inflation has affected prices of just about everything, from durable goods to gas, utilities and groceries. Readying children for the school year has been no different. According to Deloitte, an audit, tax and consulting conglomerate, costs of school supplies have risen 24% in the past two years — no small thing considering back-to-school is the second-biggest spending event for families, topped only by the holiday season.The impact hits lower and lower-middle-income parents hardest, including a disproportionate number of people of color. The Arizona Republic asked two Latino parents in metro Phoenix to share their experiences. Cristina Pacheco, a mother of three, lives in Glendale. Yahira Felix and her family live in Phoenix. Both are part of the LIBRE Initiative, an advocacy group committed to empowering the Latino community. Did you spend more for back-to-school than last year?Pacheco: I feel like I spent almost double that of last year. School supplies are running close to $100 per child this year. And as single mother of three, including one with special needs, these rising costs are hitting us extra hard. We have had to cut back on how much we are driving and we’re staying home more. Felix: It’s been roughly three times as much as what I spent last year. It’s been terrible. We opted for the generic brands and the items that are on clearance to reduce our costs. And then on the items that are optional, or they might be able to get at school from others — we decided against buying them altogether this year. Did you do anything differently to look for deals? Pacheco: We shopped around quite a bit to see who had the best deal. We also looked for coupons to see if that could reduce the cost. What was challenging was hearing about places that were cheaper, but farther out. Then it became a question of driving farther to save money but paying more in gas. Sometimes it was cheape …
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