Aug. 7--NORMAL -- Martha Stearns is planning to spend less on her children's school supplies this fall.

Besides searching out bargains at discount stores, the Normal mother of four is fitting her children in hand-me-down clothing.

The National Retail Federation predicts Stearns will have plenty of company in her attempts to cut costs on back-to-school merchandise.

The average family with students in kindergarten through grade 12 is expected to spend about $549 on school supplies. That's a decline of 7.7 percent from the $594 spent in 2008. Nearly half of those surveyed by the NRF said it's because of the bad economy.

And no doubt, many of those shopping will be checking coupons and sales. Stearns, for instance, found bargains like a 12-pack of pencils for 10 cents at Office Max. She stocked up for the entire school year.

"Everybody is trying to save money in these times," said Stearns, who just recently began working part time as a fitness instructor to bring in extra money.

Her husband works full time but they have children ranging from preschool to junior high and paying for back-to-school expenses is a concern. Stearns knows others are in the same boat, and when she learns of a back-to-school bargain, she passes the information along, adding "there's quite a network."

While Stearns still has some shopping to do before the start of school later this month, she estimated she'd already spent about $150. Among the more expensive purchases were a calculator and gym clothes, she said.

Retailers, meanwhile, are going all out to get cost-conscious consumers into their stores, in some cases offering supplies at just a portion of normal prices.

Phil Roth, an assistant manager at Wal-Mart, 2225 W. Market St., Bloomington, said his store is having trouble keeping some back-to-school bargains in stock.

A 24-count crayon package for 25 cents is one example, Roth said, adding that his store sold 10,293 boxes in just a week.

"People seem to be looking for bargains because of the bad economy," he said.

------

Good deals

A sampling of back-to-school bargains advertised at retail stores in the past week:

-- Office Depot: Pencil pouch, 5 cents

-- OfficeMax: 12-pack of No. 2 pencils, 10 cents each

-- Meijer: 24-count Crayola Crayons, 19 cents

-- Kmart: 150-count filler paper, two for $1

-- Walgreens: Elmer's Jumbo Glue Stick, 99 cents

-- Wal-Mart: Construction paper, 10 colors, 88 sheets, $2

-----

To see more of The Pantagraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pantagraph.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:WMT, NYSE:ODP, NYSE:OMX, NASDAQ-NMS:SHLD, NYSE:WAG,

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.