With back to school under a week away, Winnipeg families are spending their final days of summer at shopping centres.
For many parents, this time of year comes with a heavy cost – even just for the essentials.
“It’s probably been close $1,000 with everything, in grand total, I would say,” said Kari Giavedoni, a mother of three boys.
Giavedoni has spent the past few days outfitting her sons for the upcoming year.
“Everything is crazy expensive,” she said. “That’s why we like to shop at Walmart because the clothes here are pretty affordable and I mean the groceries are also affordable.”
According to Statistics Canada, the costs of children’s clothing and footwear has gone down over the past two years, with clothing down 8.5 per cent and footwear down 6.9 per cent.
But that’s not what Giavedoni is seeing.
“Even the shoes that I bought them today, I’m pretty sure they where $60 a couple years ago. Now they are $80.”
StatCan also reported textbooks and school supplies are up 24 per cent over the past 12 years.
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Luckily for Giavedoni, she doesn’t have to worry about shopping school supplies. The Winnipeg School Division organizes that aspect for parents, but it still costs $50 per child.
“Now what we’re doing is thrifting,” she said. “First of all, we go to Once Upon a Child because they have really good deals. And passing down hand-me-downs from friends.”
Making at stop at Once Upon a Child on Thursday was Maria Rivet, a mother of two. The clothing store officers parents a chance to buy used items for kids.
“I started shopping early,” Rivet said. “I started shopping when school ended. So we’re pretty much there now.”
Maria Rivet, a mother of two, did some of her back-to-school shopping at Once Upon a Child, Sept. 3, 2026. (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)
One of her children is heading into Grade 7, while the other is about to start kindergarten, so she knows how to prepare.
“Backpacks, lunch kits, shoes, lots of clothes. Yeah they grow out fast so,” she said.
Kids in Manitoba head back to the classroom Sept. 9.
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