Is it that time of year again already?!?!

It doesn’t seem possible but here we are, yet again, in August. It seems to start earlier and earlier each year. The store windows suddenly stop advertising for swimwear and BBQs and all anyone is trying to sell for the next few weeks seems to be in some form of a “BACK TO SCHOOL” sale.

While in line waiting to purchase my 10 cent notebooks at Staples a thought occurred to me. I started to wonder how much money we spend on back to school shopping each year. And while this being my senior year of college meant I could probably get away with just my new notebooks and a package of pens and pencils, how many thousands of dollars are we spending on new school shoes, backpacks, and glue sticks?

According to the National Retail Association (NRF), consumers are “expected to spend $83.6 billion dollars in back to school and back to college shopping”. This number is up by 10 billion from last year’s sales.

But how much of that number comes down to each family? The Time website said families with grade school age students spend on average over $600 on back to school shopping annually, with the majority of that money being spent on new clothes and backpacks. College age students (especially freshman) typically spend closer to $800 on back to school shopping with the majority of their spending on desktops, laptops, and other electronic devices.

But who spends the most on school supplies? The Huffington Post reports that teachers usually spend the most money, averaging between $500 and $1,000 annually on their own classroom supplies. And while students eventually no longer need to go back to school shopping, this annual cost is one that educators will be doling out for decades of their lives.

So whether you're dropping a couple grand on a new computer or spending a couple bucks on new notebooks, it seems like back to school shopping isn’t something we’ll be getting away from anytime soon.