Back to school costs, how much has it cost you?

[Youmadorwhat]

Urrgh...I added it all up today and by the time I get school jumpers (m&s) I will have spent 300!! 😭 breaking my heart here!! And that’s for 1 child!

Just having a moan! What’s your number?

5yo going into year 1, most expensive is shoes from Clark's at £42, other than that:

£10 for 8 polo shirts that I'll ration out over the year, swapping when the whiteboard marker stains take over

Shorts, summer dresses, pinafores are still good from the last bunch I bought mid way through last school year. Lunch box and water bottle are still good.

I'll spend about £20 next week in Sainsbury's 25% off, on school socks and tights.

Bought PE kit last year then it turned out they didn't need it (even though it was on the bloody school list), luckily it still fits so just need new plimsolls.

Much cheaper than last year. Winter coat will be added later in the year depending on whether she still fits last years or not.

£5 on a huge bag of barely worn uniform from a friend. £8 on a new bag and just need to get some new shoes and probably will get new polo shirts too

About £600 so far for DS1 who is starting secondary. Blazer was over £100, let alone all the new shirts, trousers, ties, PE kit and bag. He has to have a Chromebook as well, and we haven't done shoes/trainers/football boots yet, so it'll end up topping £1000 by the time I am done.

And then there's DS2. He should only need the footwear part, but even that will end up another close to another £200 at a guesstimate.

£9 on a school bag. Going shoe and plimsoll shopping next week, but otherwise I think we're OK.

I’ll spend £30-40 on school shoes and another £30 on trainers. She need new tights (I think) as well. Hopefully the blouses will last another year. The rest I bought oversized and adjusted, so I just need to modify my adjustments.

Dc1 (14)
Blazer £100
School supplies £20

Dc2 (8)
Two jumpers £20
Shoes £40

Dc3
Two shirts £9
Two jumpers £20
Five trousers £30
Shoes £40
Water bottle £5

Dc4
5 trousers £30
Two jumpers £20
Two shirts £9
Socks £7
Pe bag £8
Water bottle £5
Tie £5
Pe trainers £25
Shoes £40

I don't even want to add it up!
I do manage to hand down a lot of stuff like shirts please dd1 has different colour shirts for summer so usually get a cousle of years out of them. Hers is by far the most expensive it cost us over £500 when she started in year7.

DS needed a whole new uniform. I got a combination of Tu (trousers), Debenhams (polo shirts) and M&S (jumpers) stuff. I got him a pencil case and water bottle from Smiggle (vom), various crayons, pens, pencils were bought at a pound shop. Personalised gym bag ordered from amazon but very cheap. I’d say I spent ca £150 all in. I could have done it cheaper but I like to get 5 of each to cover the whole week. Thankfully shoes still fit him, I bought them a week before they finished for the summer so definitely not replacing them.
My parents are very kindly treating DS to a new school bag and lunchbox from Smiggle. Tacky overpriced shite but he loves it and they’re being very generous.
He’s only 6 and finds all this a massive treat.

Around £500 for one child. We didn't go mad either

DS going into early years / reception

Trousers x 2 £10
Polos x 6 £8
Shoes £10
Jumpers x 2 £13
Shorts x 2 £2
T-shirt’s x 4 £4
His coat still fits him from last winter, book bag school provides.

He has trainers for PE already so doesn’t need those.... so not a huge amount really!

About £200 in the end I think. DD9 grows at a ridiculous rate and I like to have enough uniform to do about 8 days in case we are away at the weekend and I get behind with the washing (skirts and cardigans go in darks wash, polo shirts in light so it's two washes to be done, dried, ironed). She needed a full set of clothes, but last year I got away without replacing shirts or cardigans so that's something. Nothing is logo because she doesn't like it and it's not obligatory.

£45 in Clark's for shoes, was hoping to wait till half term but she's grown a size so that's a fail. New rucksack, old one has done 3 years and the strap is breaking.

I think we need 2 PE kits this year as one day they change at school and one day they go in in kit and stay in it all day. I'd rather have one kit at school and one at home than try and have one kit in the right place all the time. So that's a duplicate kit to be bought.

It's a lot, but some of that is for my convenience. Clothes are mostly Asda so not expensive.

Dd..just a new lunchbox and new shoes. Uniform is fine.

Ds...starts secondary school in September so have had to buy everything...it's hundreds

No asda over here, uniform is bought in specific uniform shops, cheapest places would be tesco and lidl/aldi whenever they get them in. I usually buy from m&s or next.

@Invisimamma well I am now a single parent (carer for my disabled 17 yo) on benefits, so it would be a stretch to afford the new blazers. Which is entirely their own fault they are in a state because they are covered in paint for art as they won't wear the aprons school provides. 🙄 So I'm not buying new ones for the same thing to happen when they've only got till June left.

Their trousers and shirts I think are ok, might need a couple of pairs but that won't cost much (assuming I can find them as shops here seem to think anyone over 14 doesn't need uniform)

I'm glad I don't have to buy books as well, apart from the gcse revision guides.

Will be around 300 for the pair of them but the majority on decent shoes like hush puppies (eldest at secondary Y8 walks a mile and back), and replacing logo secondary PE kit. If you think Clarks are expensive wait til they are an adult size 8 and you want something similar.

I only shop at Asda with exception of shoes. Could have spent less but have bought enough for 5 days for ease.

£25.00 for 5 Pairs of Trousers
£7.50 for 6 Purple Polos
£3.00 for 10 Pairs Socks
£18.00 Warm Coat
£16.00 for 2 Logo Sweaters (already got one reasonably new)
£7.00 for 5 Pack Boxer Shorts
£5.00 PE Shorts
£3.00 PE Top
£10.00 PE Joggers
£30.00 School Shoes
£30.00 Trainers

oh ffs I just realized I forgot to add €40 admin and photocopying fee 😫

About £80 odd for DC2, who’s going into Reception. That includes shoes at £40 odd, shorts/polos/trousers from M&S during their 20% off Friends and Family, and jumpers from school (£16 for 2). He’s using his sister’s outgrown PE kit, book bag from school and he gets free school meals so no lunchbox. Already has a water bottle and coat, will get a second pair of wellies from Tesco to keep at school.

I haven't bought any yet. DS1 will be 6 next week, going into Y2 and still fits in the jumpers I bought for starting reception. I bought them a size up and they're still in pretty decent condition so I won't bother buying new.

Shorts and shoes still fit, bought new during summer term.
Lunch box and water bottle still in good condition. The school provide books and stationery 🤷🏻‍♀️

£14 for six new polos
£20 for four school trousers
£5 for PE shorts

So £39 total. I might stretch to buying him a new bag if MIL doesn't buy him one for his birthday

So far £70.

4 pairs of trousers from M&S with the 20% off
10 polo shirts from H&M. These cost more than other places (though still considerably cheaper than logo ones) but they are jersey rather than the usual 'rough' ones and my boys love them. I had a points voucher to put towards them too.
Five shirts for older DS in secondary school.

Still need,
Blazer, tie, jumper and PE kit, shoes and trainers for the older one going into year 11.
God knows how much they'll cost 👏👏👏 to the head for changing uniform for all years rather than just lower years.
Shoes and trainers for the younger two.

Coats, water bottles, lunch bags and boxes will all be reused.

I’ll spend about £400 for 3 dc, the biggest cost is shoes. 3 pairs of shoes can easily cost me £200, ds1 and dd wear adult sizes so they obviously cost more and I always buy good quality, hard wearing shoes, supermarket shoes get destroyed within a month or two so are false economy.
Dd also needs new trainers for PE so maybe £50 there too.

I'm genuinely too afraid to add it up. 3 kids. I'd probably get a 5 star family holiday for the same price

Even the school bus for just one child is €350

The following x3:

Books
Uniforms
PE uniforms
Shoes & trainers
Bags & lunchboxes
Coats
Little things like glue, pencils etc

When they return, I'll need to pay a school contribution, swimming lessons and insurance

We're in Ireland

It'll be nearly £500 between the 3 of them, maybe a bit more because I haven't put shoes into that.

About £220 so far but still need a lightweight waterproof jacket to go over the blazer in case it's peeing down again at the end of the week. 1 DC just starting school.

I've spent about £100 already on school supplies and I'm the teacher.. My own ds is only 1 so thankfully a few more years before I have to buy stuff for him starting school!

@AlwaysOnAbloodyDiet yes I forgot the insurance too!! 🤣🤣 I don’t think she’ll have swimming lessons this year so that’s ok!