Buying School Uniform on a Budget*

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As parents it's easy to find ourselves dreading the big school uniform purchase at the beginning of each new school year, but it doesn't have to be that way. With a little careful planning, we can easily kit the kids out for school without breaking the bank. Want to know how? Read on:

Spread the Cost Throughout the Year

We're not talking credit cards here. Instead it means buying the pieces of uniform you'll need for the kids come September throughout the year, taking advantage of any special offers you might see. You can even pick up school uniform quite inexpensively while doing your weekly shop these days, which helps spread the cost over many months and not just in the lead up to the new school year in September. The summer holidays are expensive enough for parents, what with the kids being off school, booking summer holidays and keeping them entertained, so the last thing we need is having to fork out a large amount of money on uniform too.

Get it Right

Years ago a school uniform consisted of shirts and trousers, skirts or pinafores, with maybe a summer dress for the girls and shorts for the boys thrown in for good measure in the summer. Not to mention the ties, blazers and jumpers that were pretty much guaranteed to feature on the huge list of uniform requirements from the school. Luckily for the kids, gone are the days of starched white shirts and ties, especially in primary school and in are the polo shirts, fleece lined jumpers and, dare I say it, fashionable additions to such items as skirts, shoes and dresses to make them all the more appealing to our children.

There is still a list however, detailing what is acceptable in terms of uniform for each school, and it's best to stick to it as buying something off the list only results in wasting your money when you have to replace it with the corresponding item off the list. Luckily though we're no longer restricted to purchasing uniforms from the expensive school uniform shop of yesteryear.

Shop Around

Of course there are still dedicated school uniform shops, but these days you have a huge choice of where to buy your child's school uniform, ensuring that you can make the most of the best deals around. We often think that buying second hand will save us money, but in the case of school uniforms you want something that is durable, and if someone has already worn it they've already made the best of the item in question, so it may not work out cheaper to buy things second hand after all.

Luckily you can take advantage of the great value school uniform shop in your local supermarket, which offers a wealth of choice for children of all ages in a variety of colours. It's durable and best of all it is amazing value for money, meaning that you'll spend less kitting your child out for school than you would in any other shop or buying second hand.

Making savings on school uniform is easy when you know how. So remember these tips, shop in advance, have in mind what you need to buy and where you can get it from at a good price and you won't be out of pocket by the time September rolls around.

*This is a sponsored post