WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Summer vacation is coming to a close, which means it's time for parents to start shopping for back-to-school supplies.
"Back-to-school shopping is a lot more than a 64-pack of Crayola crayons with a pencil sharpener in the back," said Sara Rathner, a senior writer at NerdWallet. "You need a lot of things for your kids."
And those items add up.
According to the National Retail Foundation, Americans will spend $39.4 billion this year on back-to-school items. That's about $858 a person.
WATCH BELOW: How parents can 'shop savvy and smart' for back-to-school
"We found that 46% of back-to-school shoppers would be willing to go into debt to buy items that help their children fit in with their peers," Rathner said.
Parents that we talked to say the struggle is real.
"It's a struggle for both because everything has gotten so expensive, as the older the kids get, the clothes get more expensive," parent Cassie Shumate said.
Andrea Woroch, a budgeting expert, said it's important to have a plan.
Back To School
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"The back-to-school purchases can really bust our budget," Woroch said. "It's really important for you to shop savvy and have a plan."
We spoke to Woroch to get advice on how to shop savvy and smart. That includes shopping second-hand, especially for electronics.
"Walmart sells certified refurbished (items). ... Amazon has a section called 'Amazon Renewed,'" Woroch said. "You're looking at saving up to 60%, and if they have any back-to-school sales, there's even discounts on top of that already reduced price."
The National Retail Foundation said electronics are the biggest ticket items for back-to-school shopping, with clothing coming in a close second.
"Talking about name brand clothing, first of all, your child doesn't have to have everything they want," Woroch said. "Maybe have them prioritize their list and then shop savvy, look online. Compare prices between retailers, look for coupon codes that you can then stack on top of a sale. You can go to a deal aggregator like CouponCabin.com. They organize coupons by store name. They also offer you cash back."