It’s seems like only yesterday that the first day of the summer holidays were upon us. And what a summer it’s been for once – at least weather wise – with long sunny days stretching into warm evenings – always a recipe for exhausted kids by bed time which results in happy parents. But as the seemingly endless days of summer draw to a close, it’s soon back to reality. And it looks like we’re all in for a bumpy ride, or worse still a crash landing with the prospect of soaring energy prices adding £££s to our outgoings as well as the inevitable back to school costs which are going to weigh more heavily on our wallets than ever before.
We have lots of mums of school aged kids making up the Hippychick tribe, including Sarah who with three children already in school and one starting this year, is bracing herself for a tough few months ahead. We asked Sarah to share her top back to school budget tips and we hope they go some way towards helping families to save.
- Leave the kids at home and do the back to school shopping alone. That way you won’t be influenced by pester power.
- Start shopping as soon as the uniform sales begin. If you’re buying the same brand of uniform you should be safe buying the next size up. If in doubt buy two sizes and try them on. I opt for the one that will fit but also has a bit of growing room.
- Most schools now offer a uniform swap shop. Some children grow so fast that it’s a great way to donate uniform and buy new at a much cheaper cost. A new PE t-shirt recently cost me nearly £10. From from the swap shop it would have been £2 or £3.
- Teach the kids to budget! It’s never too early to give them an understanding of the value of money.
- If you need to invest in expensive tech, consider holding out until Black Friday or Amazon Prime day.
- Avoid buying character-themed backpacks and lunchboxes. They will almost certainly go out of favour very quickly and will normally carry a 30% premium.
- Lost school uniform is the bain of every parent’s life. Label everything clearly, in several places if you can, so if their shorts do manage to make their way into Johnny’s kit back, they will be returned.
You’re welcome #helpfulhippychick