ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Central Florida public school students go back to class on Monday morning in most of the region.

However, that means many parents are scrambling to buy clothes and supplies.

With prices and money tight, Community Correspondent Jarell Baker took News 6 to a back-to-school swap meet held in Orange County on Thursday evening.

Dozens of students like Mika Gonzalez took full advantage of some free clothes during the back-to-school clothing swap on Concord Street in Orlando.

“I got some jackets and shirts for the rest of the summer. I also got some for school. It was really cool,” she told News 6.

Gonzalez and her family also gave several items away during the event, which was hosted by state Rep. Anna Eskamani to help other families in Orlando save some money on back-to-school shopping.

“I’m a mother of four, so you can imagine that cost adds up very, very quickly,” local mother Sloan Echavarria said. “This is such a great opportunity.”

The Florida Retail Federation said that families with children in kindergarten through 12th grade are expected to spend about $858 on back-to-school clothes and supplies this year.

Adelys Bueno said she could spend up to $500 for her son Lorenzo.

“Shoes and bookbags, which run the most,” Bueno said, describing which items were the most expensive for her. “Headphones, too. Nowadays, kids need headphones.”

For K-12 families, electronics are the most expensive, with clothing coming in second.

Families said these back-to-school events save them hundreds — even more than thrift stores.

“Thrifting has been commercialized so much,” said back-to-school shopper Jasmine Ramos. “You used to be able to fill up a bag and only pay like $5 – $10 for something that large. But now, they’re charging $5 – $10 for one piece.”

With all the financial hardship, a new Florida law passed this year established a back-to-school sales tax holiday for the entire month of August, which will repeat annually.