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Parents won't be pulling quite as much out of their pocketbooks to pay for back-to-school essentials this year, according to the National Retail Federation. The NRF says the average family with school-aged children will spend $634.78 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics. That's about $50 less than last year. Total back-to-school spending for 2013 is expected to reach $26.7 billion. But for those parents who don't want to be average, consider buying some of your back-to-school must-haves from secondhand sources.