Lansing neighbors talk about the costs of going back to school

Neighbors are busy covering the costs of school supplies to start the school year.
Schools start at different times in August for school districts in Mid-Michigan.
Watch the video above to see how neighbors are coping with this time of year.

(Below is a transcript of the full broadcast story)

“Are you happy that school is starting again this year?”

“Yes,” said Severin, a schoolboy.

“What are you most looking forward to?”

“Lots of breaks,” said Severin.

Back to school.

These are three words we hear more and more as August approaches.

“New clothes, a backpack, get him all ready.”

Linda Cooper and her grandson Severin participate in the free backpack event in Lansing.

Cooper says her expenses are already high and this time of year brings new challenges.

“Then when I have additional expenses, like the cost of going back to school, I have to try to figure out how to get that money together and save it, cut back here and there,” Cooper said.

And they are not the only ones feeling the hole burning in their wallets.

Tyjuan Thirdgill and his three nieces also stopped by to pick up a free backpack.

“We probably spend five to seven hundred dollars on new school supplies to buy them new clothes,” said Tyjuan Thirdgill, Holt.

Neighbors went to Verizon stores in mid-Michigan on Sunday to hand out free backpacks.

“We want to help people with this a little bit of a burden,” said Verizon’s Devon Feintuch.

“Anything that helps us save a little bit of the money we spend helps,” Thirdgill said.

And our neighbors say they will continue to look for deals to save money…

“Anything I can find at a good price, we check the classifieds extensively for deals and things like that,” Cooper said.

But despite the costs, almost everyone is excited to go back to school.

“They may not be excited about it, but we are certainly excited about them going back to school, about them learning again and about them having more constructive things to do during the day,” Thirdgill said.

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