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?

I'm around £300 for first set of High School uniform, still need to get a coat.
Only got new shoes for the youngest as she has plenty of uniform that still fits.

So glad the school does second hand uniform for 50p a shot. I've got a bag to give back the school in September so we'll start term with only one branded polo shirt but we're lucky in that unbranded polo tops are ok (Amazon is good), trousers are Amazon/Asda normally, plimsolls and sports kit comes from eBay (half a dozen gym bags for £6). DS1 only appears to need a new rugby top - alas his school isn't quite as enlightened and insists on having second hand uniform sales at 4pm FFS!

Just over £100 for my 1 Dd who's 5. That's because she is desperate for the Leli kelly shoes you colour in which are about 50 quid.

It'll be £100. Will have spent £300 on holiday club though.

Nothing so far, our wonderful PTA organised a ‘uniform swap’ at the end of the year so I’ve already got most of her stuff there in exchange for her old ones. All I need to buy now is some white shirts which are about a tenner for a pack of 5 in Asda, a multipack of black tights and a new pair of school shoes and she’ll be sorted

One starting secondary school, other grown out of most secondary uniform: £250 and I haven't bought trainers or shoes yet. Really feeling it this year

I suspect it will total around £300
New blazer (going into yr11 but the old one definitely won't make another year) - £65
New school shoes - DS angling for DM's, as he's in adult sizes the difference is not much more than Clark's - approx £100
New trainers - £40ish (hopefully)
3x trousers - £48
3x shirts - £20
PE T-shirt and shorts - about £20 I think

Thankfully this is the last year!

Lunch bag 19
Water bottle 9.50
Sistema box with cutlery 5.99

Well, more fool you ^

I've never spent anywhere near £300 on any of my dc (or, to be honest, except on the years they started secondary, I doubt if I've ever spent that on the 3 of my dc added together.)

You need to galvanise your school into setting up school uniform sales. We used to do them in the playground straight after school,selling donated, out grown uniform, and unclaimed (washed!) lost property. Meant parents got uniform for a pittance and the school raised £££ as an aside.

Nothing!

One teenager at secondary school in Françe, no uniform, it'll still be warm in September so he'll wear summer clothes for the first month. May have to buy an exercise book or two, and some new cold weather clothes after half term depending on what still fits.

I think some posters have missed that OP is in Ireland (as am I) where "free education" means the teacher and the premises. We pay for all books, stationery etc. €300 some years wouldn't be terribly unusual especially if they've grown out of the previous years uniform as children are inclined to do! That's probably before the "voluntary" contribution too...

@BackforGood
That is really not so far over the odds here!! A third of that budget was on books and stationary without which my child can’t learn!!

Lunch bag 19
Water bottle 9.50
Sistema box with cutlery 5.99
They will probably last 2 years as the last lot did so it’s not THAT expensive, again I have no other option as DD has to eat!!

I just got my bill in today from the school for the upcoming year (I'm in N Ireland) and that was over £300 for starters. Then another £300 for music lessons (admittedly those aren't compulsory). I've got off lightly with uniform because a lot of last year's still fits, she only needs a couple of skirts and about 3 shirts so maybe £100 will do. The younger one is still at primary but we have a long list of stuff to provide such as glue, tissues, notebooks, scissors etc. It all mounts up.

I’ll probably spend about £150 between two boys. Possibly a little more if the older one decides on doc marten shoes this year. That’s mostly because they’ve both had massive growth spurts this last fortnight, rendering pretty much everything that was reusable from last term obsolete. I do wish my boys grew at a slightly slower rate than they do.

@ImNotHappyaboutitPauline I don’t think some ppl in the uk realize how good they have it tbh

Bought DS new school shoes (Clarkes seconds from designer outlet) during May half term hols and he's hardly worn them so, as long as his feet don't grow again they'll do for now.

Went on Aldi online and got trousers, polos and jumpers for about £20, overspent a bit last year so he still has new stuff that will fit for at least part of this school year.

Next year will be a killer as he starts year 7 and it's uniform bought through the school for £££££££££

Our PTA runs a second hand sale and our Academy is pretty relaxed (so there is a branded PE top but a black hoodie is fine).

No new uniform apart from said hoodie which was £6 on Amazon (unless he grows AGAIN) although DH thinks his polo shirts are beyond redemption. 6 of those is c£10. But I buy when I see at a good price so have the next size up in trousers stashed away. We’ll check shoes at the end of the holidays.

He’s going into Y2.

"Today 20:56Aderyn19

About £180 so far. That's for 2 blazers, 2 jumpers, a tie, school shirts × 6 and skirts x 4."

I had to buy 1 blazer this year for dd2 starting high school- it was £150! So i am very jealous of posters like the one above who are clearly paying much less! Dd is at a very bog standard state school too, nothing fancy. Her starting secondary has blown my normal budget out of the water this year, I'm really taken aback. Blazer, decent rucksack as they have so much to carry, PE kit...I'll know to start saving in advance when dd2's time comes around!

£21 on a half price winter coat, everything else still fits. I replace as required rather than buy it all at once for Sept.

I have three to school shop for,

All got
school bag
shoes
water bottles
Indoor shoes

Girls each
2 polo shirts
2 shirts
2 skirts
1 cardigan each
Socks
Gym shorts

Boys
2 trousers
2 shirts
2 polo shirts
1 jumper
Socks
Gym shorts

Wouldn't be getting their winter coats just now, normally don't till around October time, they are still in lightweights just now. Their underwear was all renewed for going away on holiday. I think people go way over the top on the first buy for school uniform. They get two of everything to begin with then I renew throughout the year as and when they need it.

You are right, until this thread, I didn't realise that in Ireland you had to fund all the books, however, taking the £135 away from the £300, still means you have spent £163 (sorry I don't have a euro sign on my keyboard) on school uniform for a 6 yr old, which, as you asked, seems an awful lot.

I bought aldi trousers and Tesco jumpers- I felt m&s were not much better. Asda polo and jackets. I'd say for all 100 for two children.
Shoes 35 each child.
Books 50 per child- rental scheme.
Lunchboxes- last year's still in perfect condition. Water bottles 2.50
Twistables and stationary 5 each ??

So less than 150 (will have to pay 60 for photocopying and folders in September)

Eldest dc don't wear a uniform to their high school so they have had £0 spent on them so far, I will get them new jackets this autumn though.

Youngest dc is at primary and has new:
Trainers £28
Gym trainers £8 from Aldi
Schoolbag £15 (but it hasn't been delivered yet and he goes back on Wed so he'll have to use his old one that is a bit broken and worn)
Packet of pencils £2
Felt tipped pens £2

Everything else still fits/works from 6 weeks ago when they broke up so no need to replace yet, I tend to do it when it's needed not because it's a new school year. We can order new logo polo shirts from the school at any time during the year and Asda have uniform online all the time too.

Are DC not allowed to wear 'a school coat' out at weekends? Or apparently special underwear and socks?

I'm sorry, but, unless you have chosen to send your DC private, in which case don't moan on here about £130 stripey blazers and monogrammed handkerchiefs; the vast majority of stare school uniform doesn't cost the Earth. Six badged polo shirts? Do they mud-wrestle? Two badges sweatshirts?? Three grey skirts?

Why? How badly does your 7 year old smell?

£9 at the school pop up shop - got second hand skirts, pinafores, cardigans and spare ties

£6 at lidl - polo shirts, cycling shorts for gym and short sleeve shirts

£15 new schoolbag - last one broke in the last month of term 😬

£5 new plimsolls

DM bought DD1 shoes and tights

Grand total of £35. On a budget so really pleased with this as I spend a couple hundred last year...

@BackforGood
60 of that was for shoes and runners
35 was on her coat
And then the lunch box etc
I really didn’t spend much on uniform, that was the least expensive part of my list €10 for two skirts and 28 on jumpers

I expected it, I budgeted for it but I can still moan. 🤣🤣