Nearly one third of Irish parents are putting themselves in debt to cover back-to-school costs, according to a new survey.
A survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions shows the average spend per secondary school child's €1,518, and €1,195 euro at primary school level.
More than 90% of families are being financially squeezed due to the additional costs of groceries and utility bills.
While more than 1 in 3 households say they are struggling to make their household budget stretch to cover the additional cost of living increases.
"89% of parents are saying households costs are affected by the cost of living," says ILCU spokesperson Paul Bailey.
"Over 90 are seeing additional costs to groceries and utility bills and more than 1 in 3 they're struggling to make their household budget stretch."
It comes as families are to get a €100 boost in the back-to-school allowance, along with a package of other measures to help tackle rising costs.
That was a move announced by the government yesterday.
