After reading a report into the expense of school uniforms earlier today, I thought I would bring you my guide to uniforms at the cheapest price.
Now, you may have seen me on Good Morning Britain discussing this topic not long ago. It is so expensive for school uniforms, especially if you have more than one child.
I experienced this problem this year. I have two children in primary school who wear basic uniform you can pick up anywhere, other than my son’s PE kit which the school kindly provide.
However, my step son who is in high school needs some of his uniform bought directly from the school and its not cheap! We bought his shirts, trousers and PE kit from high street stores which luckily got the price down. There price of the items we need to purchase from the school is slowly creeping up year by year but we have to keep paying it as we can’t buy it elsewhere!
Where is this going to stop? Surely there must be a way to get the price down of the branded items we need to buy our children?
However, there is a way to get non branded cheap school uniform…
1. Wait for the clearance sales if you can. Come October/November most stores will have clearance sales on their left over uniform stock. Last year I went to Staples and their remaining uniform stock had gone on 3 for 2 plus it was massively reduced plus their was an extra 25% off at the checkout. I Managed to buy next years uniform (i just bought 2 sizes to big) for just over £20 instead of £100.
2. Sainsburys hold a 25% off all clothing event a number of times each year. It also includes clothing items that are in the sale which is handy to know. This is a good time to stock up on uniform, its really not worth paying full price.
3. Sometimes Asda have online exclusive events where their is a percentage off their clothing. It doesn’t always include school uniform but when it does it is a good idea to stock up.
4. I always use Sports Direct for bags. I wait until their is a clearance sale on and I buy items through out the year and put them away. I managed to get a Nike back pack for my step son starting high school for £2! This is also a good time to stock up on PE kit if your child doesn’t need to buy a school branded one.
5. You can buy stationary in clearance sales most of the year. Try these few links to see if you cans spot any bargains
6. When it comes to shoes, it is a bit hit and miss. I have this dilemma every year. Since my daughter went back to school in September she has gone through two pairs of shoes because she has out growing them so quick. So for my two youngest who are in primary school, I am just buying them cheaper school shoes from places like Sports Direct and Wynsors as they out grow them before they get a chance to even wear them in. My older child gets more expensive shoes which are built to last but I will still buy them in a sale if possible.
