How much do you spend on children's school uniform (per child)

[BluePandaBox]

Not so much an AIBU - but I think this is such an unreasonable situation to be in for most families!! I've two children, they attend the same school, they require at least one logo-ed top and jumper and a book bag. I buy the rest from sainsbury's/Tesco. I would love to say the youngest child has the oldest hand me downs but as they are two very boisterous boys the clothes never last long enough so basically I have to start afresh each year!! I spend, per child, around £40 on logo-ed bits, £60 on non-logo-ed bits and another £45 on shoes for each of them (we're trying to buy indestructable shoes in an effort not to replace them every 6 weeks!!), and £30 on PE kits - say £25 each on a winter coat. That's £200 per child - £400 for both!!! Crikey that's the first time I've added it all up - that is A LOT!!!

But you’d be buying shoes and winter coats anyway, so you can knock at least £70 per child off your total

You wouldnt be buying 2 pairs of trainers per child though. Youd be buying 1 as if they could wear trainers to school then there would he no need for a separate pair to be left at school in a pe bag.

As for coats well you would have the choice of everywhere and everything at home. No matter what colour or style to.ensure you got a good deal. Not having to scour the internet for a reasonably priced coat that fits all your requirements and available in many blue or black and has no details on that wouldnt be permitted .

So.yeah it impacts you in the cost and should be included.

2x logo jumpers £23
2 x logo polo shirts £18
2 x trousers m&s £14
1 x winter coat Trespass sale £10
1 x logo pe top £5.50
1 x tracksuit bottoms ebay £5
1 x sweatshirt ebay £5
1 x pe trainers m&s £16
1 x school shoes m&s £36
1x pe bag £15 (new requirement at school this year, bought one designed to last not a cheap drawstring job)

Total £147.50
X 2 children = £295
Wow, never thought it was that much, I don't get it all in one go thankfully, started getting bits in June.

DD will be about £6 on a couple of blouses and another £6 on a new lunch bag as last year's was falling apart.
DS is about to start high school so £72 on PE kit not including trainers. £35 for blazer and £7 the tie. Thankfully picked the sale boots so a bargain at £25. Should get shirts and trousers for £20 and it's been about £30 for supplies (calculator, compass etc) so just under £200 which I suppose isn't too bad and the PE kit is big enough to last until at least Y10 I would think 😁

I think school uniform is great value for money given it’s worn every day for 38 weeks a year. They need coats, shoes, hats and gloves anyway regardless of school or not.

We don’t buy it all in September as things get stained, they grow etc so we buy as needed. For the environments sake we don’t replace bags, pencil cases etc until they need to be changed. If they have new from others as gifts we send the old ones to charity.

For dd, who is starting secondary, I spent about £200 for uniform. That doesn’t include a coat, shoes, bags, water bottle etc. Then there’s name tags. That’s another tenner. She now wants Nike / Adidas pe Kit bag and shoes.

She has some Nike Huaraches I bought in March £65 these will do til the weather cools. The next size up is £100+ in adults and not even waterproof. Hopefully she will be ok with a pair of short boots from new look or similar for the winter. These will see at least til end of Easter next year (fingers crossed). She’s got trainers for pe as I had to buy a couple of pairs for a school trip after sats.

DD going into year 8 her blazer and pe kit are both fine from last year so this year I’ve had to buy a new tartan skirt £30 and logo jumper £21.50 new shirts, tights, stationary and shoes comes to about £90 in total.
DS in Primary logo items optional so I’ve spent around £45 getting trousers, polos, shoes, lunch bag, and pe kit.

I've spent about 100euro on uniform, a mix of logo-d stuff and cheaper supermarket stuff. 35euro sent into school for supplies (before school broke up) and 100ish euro on school books. We have to buy all school books here in Ireland. That's just for one primary aged child.

DD is starting secondary school, so to date I have spent £300 and that doesn't include football boots, shinpads and gum shield that they have to have for football/hockey...... or a new coat.

It does include Clarks shoes, logo blazer, tie and rugby shirt, skirts, shirts, all stationery , sports kit, trainers, bag, pe bag. The days of cheap Asda uniform are sadly gone now :(

It is a huge amount in one hit, especially as a single parent whose XH pays just £30 a week in maintenance and expects it to cover everything that she needs.

It is only this once though that it will be such a big hit, larger sizes bought to last a while and will only replace items as and when required, not every year for September.

For everything, including clarks shoes £104.

DS doesn't have a uniform as such* as he can wear his own clothes. But for him school =uniform so he has some yellow polo tops from asda and a school fleece which cost me £10.

Dd is in her last year of primary and I have spent £66 on uniform (logoed cardigans but generic everything else) and £15 on new PE kit and £10 on a new school bag.

Oh and £55 on shoes. 😱

Good year this year for me. New plain shorts and joggers for PE, tops all ok. New foot ball boots (eBay) and trainers. I had shirts and trousers from m&s last year, both a little big then so still good for September, like new :) blazer also good from last year. New school shoes + pencil case and stationary. So less than 100 quid. Was closer to £300 last year

For both children about £6-700, however that will be for everything.

Spent about £170. DS in high school and does PE as well as rugby so 2 kits needed. Things would last longer -if they weren’t nicked on the first week and needing replaced-.
New blazer, 3 shirts, 2 trousers, tie, new PE top, new PE, rugby shorts and rugby socks. Shoes bought last year half price in the Clarks sale.

DS is nearly 3 so no uniform, yet. Once he starts primary school, he also wont need a uniform. However, his school bag will be about £250 if bought new. I will then also have to buy all of his pens, exercise books, paper, folders, etc.

£70-£100 plus shoes and coat

For back to school I have paid £60 for new shoes as his were worn out and £7 for new socks.

Everything else is fine. I have realised that buying cheap for things like polo shirts and trousers doesn’t always save in the long run. I tend to get them from m and s and even with very messy Ds have never had to get rid for any reason other than outgrowing

£160 for both including shoes though we are re-using some trousers/skirts

For DD (8) I’ve spent £25 on logo jumpers and
PE top, £30 on shoes and £45 (ASDA) on 5 shirts, two pairs of trousers, two skirts, and PE bottoms so £100 total. Don’t need to get a coat yet as she had a new rain coat for summer which will do through to the colder weather (and I’m hoping her coat from last year still fits as I sized up as it was brought towards the end of winter)

Shoes alone for 1 year 3 DC were £120. I don't dare add up the rest.

DD in Y11:

6 Trutex blouses £53 (she's a DD bust so can't buy from supermarket)
3 Trutex skirts £54 (size 14 so again, not in SM)
Kickers £50 (Thanks to Wynsors for being lots cheaper than Scuh and the like)
Blazer £25
Snag Tights (she's 5'11 so struggled to get them in shops) - £6 a pair, £24

Dance leggings (Nike Pros) £28

Bag - £20 (she wants one for £40 but has been told she can make the difference up herself!)

Coat - £60

Total : £315

I work 16 hours a week.....! Luckily we get maintenance or I'd be fucked.

Approx?
£30 x 2 for new school shoes
£15 for trainers for youngest as they are outgrown
£11 ish on some new polos.

Thats it. Why go mad just because it is September? And logoed stuff I mostly get VGC second hand for a pound or so per jumper. While I probably won't get away with that forever DS (8) genuinely hasn't noticed and doesn't care.

2 pairs of trousers, 2 skirts and 3 polo shirts each from Sainsbury’s £26
1 jumper 1 cardigan with logo - £26.75 they have to wear logo-ed but last year they didn’t have a supplier and changed logo so the whole school ordered for September.
Dd1 shoes and trainers £25
Dd2 shoes and trainers £27.95
So total is £105.70
We didn’t need PE kit, well apart from trainers and their coats still fit them. We tend to wash the uniform as needed - neither of mine like wearing their jumper/cardigan so that’s washed every few days and the rest they have one on and one clean.

If I can pick up some second hand bits about £250 - £300 each. NDN's daughters go to a school where the dickhead HM decided it would be positive to switch suppliers to the firm that supplies Eton and Harrow and she has just spent £1000 on her 2 - not a full uniform either...... She's fuming!

DS (6)

Asda trousers, 4 pairs
Asda shirts, 5
Asda plimsolls
Asda shoes
M&S vneck jumper
Tie
PE kit from last year
Coat from last year.

Came in at £80ish