August 25, 2008 –Marla Cilley (a.k.a. The FlyLady), host of the popular BlogTalkRadio FlyLady and Friends Show (www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/flylady/flylady), today revealed the results of her first annual “Back to School” survey.

In a poll of more than 3,700 parents of school- aged children, Cilley found the recent economic downturn has impacted 50.6% of parents’ back-to- school plans this year, while 49.4% claim the current crisis has not had an affect.

Of the 50.6% of the parents who are affected by the economy, the money spent on their children’s  back-to-school needs will be reduced. Of six possible ways they will reduce expenses, 68.6% said that they will buy fewer clothes for the kids, 40.9% will purchase fewer school supplies and 30.5% will be shop for clothes at second-hand stores.

Asked if those who were feeling the pinch plan to seek part-time jobs during school hours to earn extra income, only 28.2% of parents responded “yes.” Cilley also discovered 35.2% of parents are spending $100 to $250 on their children’s back-to-school needs, while 29.9% are spending as much as $500.

“We are currently seeing a split among parents in the U.S,” said Cilley. “While half are feeling stretched by the current state of the economy, impacting their back-to-school plans, the other half are going about their lives as if nothing has changed. Surprisingly, parents who are not in a positive economic situation, are not proactively looking to make extra income in these down times.”

Cilley’s “Back to School” survey also showed – despite the worst consumer-debt crisis since the Great Depression and gasoline prices at record highs – 43.5% of parents will continue to drive there kids to school and 88% have no plans of opting to carpool with other parents.

The “Back to School” survey polled 3,726 U.S. families from all 50 states and was conducted by domestic empress Marla Cilley, host of BlogTalkRadio’s “FlyLady and Friends Show,” whose online community numbers nearly 500,000 members.

On Tuesday, September 2^nd at 2 PM ET, Cilley will host a special “Back to School” episode of the “FlyLady and Friends Show,” which will focus on the survey. (Immediately following the live broadcast, the special will be archived as a podcast on BlogTalkRadio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/flylady/flylady/2008/09/02/FlyLady-and-Friends-Show)

Following are the full results of the survey (which was conducted August 18–25 via SurveyMonkey.com of 3,726 U.S. families from all 50 states has a margin of error of +/- 1%):

Back to School Survey

 How many (grade and/or high-) school-aged kid do you have?
-1: 35.6%
-2: 41.0%
-3: 16.7%
-4: 4.7%
-5: 1.3%
-6 or more: 0.8%

Did you have a nanny (or other childcare help) last year?
-Yes: 13.7%
-No: 86.3%

Will you have a nanny (or other childcare help) come September?
-Yes: 12.3%
-No: 87.7%

If not, why? (Check all that apply.)
- I can no longer afford it: 25.1%
- I could not find the right person/someone reliable: 6.5%
- My kid(s) no longer require a nanny: 68.4%

How do your children get to school?
-School Bus: 35.5%
-Walk: 14.0%
-Ride Bike: 2.1%
-Car: 43.5%
-Car pool with other parents: 4.8%

Did you carpool with other parents last year to get your kids to school?
-Yes: 10.7%
-No: 89.3%

Come September, will you carpool with other parents to get your kids to school?
-Yes: 12.0%
-No: 88.0%

If come September, will you carpool with other parents to get your kids to school if so why? (Check all that apply.)
-With gas prices sky-high, I can’t afford to drive them myself every day: 17.3%
- As a good environmental citizen, I’m doing my part to conserve energy: 21.4%
- I’ve taken a part-time job, so I don’t have time to drive them myself every day: 9.6%
- Other: 70.3%

Has the recent economic downturn impacted your back-to-school plans this year?
-Yes: 50.6%
-No: 49.4%

If you answered “yes” above, how so? Has the recent economic downturn impacted your back-to-school plans this year? (Check all that apply.)
- I’m buying fewer clothes for my kids: 68.5%
- I’m shopping for clothes for my kids at second-hand stores: 30.5%
- I’m buying fewer school supplies for my kids: 41%
- My kids are getting part-time jobs to help with the back to school expenses: 6.3%
- Spending the same on clothes, but trying to get more items for that money: 17.2%
- Other: 21.3%

If you or your spouse is a stay-at-home parent, is one of you looking (or has one of you found) a part-time job in anticipation your kids going back to school?
-Yes: 28.2%
-No: 71.8%

How much did you spend on your kids’ back-to-school needs last year?
- $0 - $50: 8.7%
- $50 - $100: 15.7%
- $100 - $250: 32.5%
- $250 - $500: 29.9%
- $500 - $750: 8.4%
- $750 - $1,000: 2.8%
- More than $1,000: 2.1%

About how much are you budgeting for your kids’ back-to-school needs this year?
- $0 - $50: 10.5%
- $50 - $100: 22.2%
- $100 - $250: 35.1%
- $250 - $500: 23.0%
- $500 - $750: 5.7%
- $750 - $1,000: 1.7%
- More than $1,000: 1.7%

Did you give your kids an allowance last school year?
-Yes: 38.1%
-No: 61.9%

If you answered “yes” above, about how much per week?
-$5 or less: 44.2%
-$5 - $10: 32.4%
-$10 - $25: 15.0%
-$25 - $50: 1.8%
-$50 - $75: 0.3%
-$75 - $100: 0.3%
-More than $100: 0.1%
-Other (please specify): 8.9%

Will you be giving your kids an allowance this school year?
-Yes: 54.1%
-No: 45.8%

If you answered “yes” above, about how much per week?
-$5 or less: 44%
-$5 - $10: 32.4%
-$10 - $25: 14.2%
-$25 - $50: 1.8%
-$50 - $75: 0.3%
-$75 - $100: 0.2%
-More than $100: 0.0%
-Other (please specify): 7%

Do you normally pack lunch for your kids or give them lunch money to buy something at school?
-Pack a lunch at home: 46.2%
-Eat food bought at school: 29.1%
-Other (please specify): 24.7%

If you provide you kids with daily lunch money, will you, in order to save money, be switching to packed lunches this year?
-Yes: 19.4%
-No: 62.5%
-Other (please specify): 18.1%

Which of the following back-to-school purchases was most important to your kids last year? (Select one only.)
-Hip new shirts and/or pants: 27.7%
-Cool new sneakers and/or shoes: 29.8%
-Fashion accessories: 1.9%
-A new hairstyle: 2.2%
-A new bicycle: .08%
-The latest iPod (or similar digital-music device): 1.2%
-The latest cell-phone: 2.6%
-The latest personal digital assistant (like a Blackberry or similar device): 0.1%
-The latest laptop computer: 0.8%
-Other (please specify): 32%

Which of the following back-to-school purchases is most important to your kids this year? (Select one only.)
-Hip new shirts and/or pants: 28.4%
-Cool new sneakers and/or shoes: 27.2%
-Fashion accessories: 2.6%
-A new hairstyle: 4.8%
-A new bicycle: 0.6%
-The latest iPod (or similar digital-music device): 1%
-The latest cell-phone: 2.2%
-The latest personal digital assistant (like a Blackberry or similar device): 0.2%
-The latest laptop computer: 1.4%
-Other (please specify): 31.6%

Which of the following are you looking forward to most when your kids go back to school? (Select one only.)
-More free time to relax: 3%
-More free time to work: 12.5%
-Less noise around the house: 4.8%
-I don’t have to clean up after my kids as much: 5.9%
-Fewer worries about my kids’ safety: 1%
-Fewer worries about entertaining/planning recreational activities for my kids: 11.1%
-Having to spend less money on my kinds: 2.2%
-Getting back to normal (whatever that is): 37.5%
-Other (please specify): 22.0%

About Marla Cilley

Specializing in home and family organization, Cilley has been hosting BlogTalkRadio’s “FlyLady and Friends” since September 2007.  She is also the author of two books, “Sink Reflections: FlyLady's Babystep Guide to Overcoming Chaos” (2002) and the best-seller “Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself” (2007; co-authored by Leanne Ely). Thanks to the popularity of her self-help website (FlyLady.net), Cilley, who is based in Brevard, N.C., has developed the world’s largest Yahoo! user group, which is on track exceed 500,000 members this summer.
                           

About BlogTalkRadio

Launched in August 2006, BlogTalkRadio is a free, web-based radio talk show platform that allows any user with a phone and a computer to host a live, interactive radio show -- no downloads or extra equipment needed. Hosts call into the service by phone to broadcast. Each show can accommodate unlimited live listeners.  Upon completion of the live broadcast, it is automatically archived as a podcast.  Since the company’s launch, thousands of hosts have broadcast more than 110,000 shows. Notable guests on BlogTalkRadio such as Yoko Ono, Brad Pitt, John McCain, David Wright, Brian DePalma and more appear on the Best of BlogTalkRadio page. Notable hosts include: Harper Collins; Hachette Book Group; Daily Variety; Intel; Marla Cilley, the FlyLady home and life organizer; Sun Microsystems; and the Department of Defense.

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