Starting elementary school can be really expensive. This is shown by the latest AK price monitor of 57 school supplies from five online retailers and three stores in mid-July. 

Plus 1.4 percent for school articles
Prices for school bag sets with different contents were also examined - such as pencil cases, shaker pencil cases and sports bags. Depending on the retail chain, the cheapest school bag set this year cost between around 50 and 128 euros, the most expensive between around 87 and 290 euros. On average, school items have become more expensive again, rising by 1.4 percent.

Price confusion for school supplies - how parents can save money

• Check prices: compare prices. There are always promotions. At Interspar, for example, all products in the price check were on promotion.

• Buy sustainably: Look for quality and environmentally friendly products such as refillable felt-tip pens. Sustainable goods save money in the long run - cheaper felt-tip pens, for example, can dry out more quickly.

• Try out a fountain pen: With fountain pens, the nib quality and the design of the barrel (grip recess) are very important! It is therefore better to try out how the fountain pen feels in your hand before you buy it.

• Help for families at risk of poverty: 150 euro vouchers are available for pupils from minimum income/welfare households as part of the "Schulstartklar" campaign. There is also a school start allowance in Austria of around 116 euros for every child aged six to 15 - this is paid out automatically with the family allowance for August.

Number of accidents on the way to school increased again in 2023
Two and a half weeks before school starts in eastern Austria, it is high time to practise walking to school with your children. According to the VCÖ, 494 children were injured and two died in 450 accidents on the way to school last year. The number of accidents has risen for the third time in a row. In eight of the nine federal states, there were no fatal accidents on the way to school last year.

The exception: Upper Austria. Vienna recorded 86 accidents on the way to or from school, in Upper Austria there were 74, in Lower Austria 65 and in Styria 61, with Burgenland accounting for the fewest with ten.

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