School supplies, office equipment, printer paper… Back-to-school shopping promises to be even more expensive this year. In particular, the shortage of paper due to the war in Ukraine.
Between December 2020 and March 2022, the price of paper jumped 70%. “We have never experienced such a rise in prices between two returns,” confides Guillaume Nusse, president of Clairefontaine, to Boursorama. The Oxford boss also clarified on RTL that the brand’s products will undergo a 20 to 25% increase in supermarkets by the start of the school year. According to a study by the Generations Institute
1 – The back-to-school allowance (ARS)
Faced with this galloping inflation, associations have asked for a new revaluation of the ARS, the back-to-school allowance, already increased at the beginning of May to align with inflation.
“This allowance is intended for families with one or more children, to help them meet the costs of the start of the school year in September with the purchase of supplies, the renewal of the cloakroom or the registration for sports clubs.”, explains BFM TV. As a reminder, its amount is:
2 – The exceptional back-to-school bonus
In addition to the ARS, a back-to-school bonus will be paid in 2022 on an exceptional basis to the following households:
The amount will be 100 euros, to which will be added 50 euros per dependent child. The bonus should be paid during the month of September.
3 – Financial aid for the canteen
There are also aids for people who want their children to benefit from school meals. “For this, you need to approach the social assistance service or the secretariat of your child’s school, which will be able to provide you with information”, indicates Midi Libre. Precarious students will be able to benefit from the 1 euro meal system in the Crous.
4 – Adjustments and additional payments
The revaluation of pensions to 4%, initially scheduled for August 9, should finally take place on September 9, according to the National Old Age Insurance Fund (Cnva). People receiving the activity bonus will also receive an additional payment in September, in addition to the revaluation of 4% of its amount in September, retroactive to July 1. The government has also announced a 4% increase in scholarships from the start of the 2022 school year, as well as an increase in housing aid (APL) by 3.5%.
5 – Tax credits
You can also benefit from a tax credit if “your children are pursuing secondary or higher education during the current school year assessed on December 31 of the tax year”, explains the site impots.gouv.fr.
The amount of the tax reduction is:
Also, if you wish to hire a private tutor for your child, excluding online tutoring, “you may be able to benefit from a tax credit, up to a tax advantage of 50% up to a limit of 12,000 euros”, note Midi Libre.
Beyond financial aid, there are also practical tips for saving money by organizing your budget. The unstoppable technique for controlling expenses and saving money is simple: make envelopes! Indeed, it seems simple but you just have to create an envelope for each expense item with for example: “school supplies”, “birthday gifts”, “bills”, then fill them with cash. You must then store them well to keep this money for these expenses and only take them out when you have to pay them.
During your shopping, faced with the price of products that are skyrocketing with inflation, you can also develop techniques and tricks to lower prices. In particular, you can sniff out promotions and use discount tickets to find good deals. To organize your budget, it is also important to make a shopping list so as not to be tempted by pleasure products that are out of your budget. If you are on vacation, you can also take with you some basic shopping products that you have in your cupboards to make you small picnic and avoid going only to the restaurant.
