How much on back to school

[parentinghacks]

Aibu to wonder how much has it cost you to get your back to school stuff?

New winter coat, shoes, trainers, polo shirts, jumpers, school logo items, new water bottle...all adds up costs me a fortune!

Different occasions require different coats.

Eldest has to have a plain coat for school, needs to be big enough to fit over a blazer and study enough for a long walk in winter. Her requirements outside of school for a coat are different, she's of the age where she wants to have her own style and also we drive everywhere so the requirement for a thick coat is somewhat lessened.

My youngest needs different coats because her school coat gets filthy so needs to also be fit for a walk to school in the rain, as we don't drive her as we are at work, and also needs to be washed weekly it seems. Whereas her outside of school coat doesn't have the same requirements.

Conversely I need a lightweight coat for work as I'm in and out of a car all day and I like to have different clothes for different occasions.

Why do people treat their children clothes different to their own?

Why do people treat their children clothes different to their own?

I don’t. I treat people as individuals according to their needs. My children don’t need more than one coat, they are primary aged and their only requirement is to be warm and dry so they just have one coat. They are happy with this and it has never caused any problems.
DH works from home so also only has one coat.
I have a thick warm coat for walking to school/general outdoor activities and a smart coat for work.

Secondary starter and so far around £300 and that's with only 1 blazer and jumper etc although ideally would like 2. But at least he's got what he needs to start

I used the second hand shop for jumpers and bought coats in a Mountain Warehouse sale a few months ago which has helped a bit. Shoes, skirt, tights, socks, stationary for DD1 about £110. DD2 going in to Y6 just had 3 polos, socks and a pinafore and skirt so was £30 or so. School bags still in good condition.

I have 2 dc in primary school, I save £15 each month towards school uniform costs, so £180 per year. That doesn't quite cover it but does get most things. I'd say i spend around £200 - £250 (so £100-£125 per child)

I didn't get them new coats this year as last year's still fit and are in good condition.

Shoes this year were black trainers at schools request because of the emphasis on outdoor learning so that's cheaper than usual leather school shoes, but I will need to get them decent winter boots which I haven't budgeted for. No school bags or stationary this year 'cause covid' so another saving.

All uniform except shoes and jackets are from a supermarket - trousers, sweatshirts, polo's, socks, shorts. I buy at least 5 sets of everything!

I expect costs will increase when dc1 goes to secondary next year.

DD needed all new uniform as I was limping her on with the old, too small stuff until the summer. I don’t get the stuff with the logo on it though as DD doesn’t like the style of cardigan they do, won’t entertain a jumper or a fleece and the logo on the polo top gets partially hidden by her pinafore. The polo also goes a yucky grey really quickly.

I went to Asda so didn’t spend too much. Probably about £40-50 on uniform including new shoes from Clarks. We have a Clarks outlet though so a bit cheaper. She got a new bag as well as her old one was falling apart. Only £7 though as it was on sale.

She’ll get a new coat when she needs one. As a PP said, I buy coats in the sale to fit later.

I buy throughout the year and haven’t spent anything this year. My daughter is year 11 so we’re trying not to buy anything else. Son, year 10, needs a new back pack but everything else fits. Oh I did need to buy a too for PE which was £28 and he will need new shoes but I’ll get those in a few months.

Got off fairly lightly. Mine are Y11 and very unfussy.

We haven't had to buy new bags or pencil cases for years.

Like pps, one winter coat is always fine for both school and home. Usually from Primark. Won't buy this for weeks though.

Shoes - made the mistake of cheaper pairs from Sports Direct, so these need replacing, even though one spent seven weeks isolating in addition to lockfowns, so schools worn for less than half year.

Shirts from Asda, trousers for one from supplier and Morrisons

They dont really wear jumpers, but bought one each

New blazers and a bit of sports kit, but not much as we buy when needed.

When they started secondary it seemed to cost a fortune, so this is the easiest year so far.

Hi @qualitygirl . Two days to go here until DS is back to school so must go labelling his uniforms or his jumpers will be lost by Friday 😂 glad to see the sun here for their last few days off.

Mine don't have a uniform so I buy as and when they need new clothes or in the sales. I bought DS a new folder, two sticks of glue and 2 ink eradicators. Clothes wise, both needed new indoor trainers and DS needed a gym bag. I'll have to buy DS some new jeans for after half term.

Mine always only had 1 winter coat, which lasted 2 or even 3 years (slow growing), generally handed down from eldest to youngest. Wouldn't buy in August anyway (nowhere near Scotland), it would be an October purchase.

Certainly did not buy bags & water bottles new each year either.

Logo items passed down between DC too. Most uniform lasted 2 years anyway.

This year have needed polo shirt, overalls, work trousers and steel capped boots for DD for college, overalls needed altering to fit too. - ~£100 total. But she is happy with bag she had for school for now, and doesn't want other new college clothes at the moment either (v. low maintenance ).

DS going into year 1, all I’ve bought is 1 new jumper and 3 new polo shirts. He still fits his uniform from last year but the jumpers (navy) fade badly in the wash so I felt he could do with at least one newer one. He’ll no doubt grow at some point during the year so I’ll be buying more as we go but I don’t intend to buy new uniform for September just for the sake of it. He had new school shoes in May because his feet grew so they’re still fine, and I won’t buy a winter coat until the weather is colder, he has a lightweight one he can use until at least half term.

I only bought what they actually needed replacing so apart from the first year at school it wasn't that much. I handed down to dd2.

DS is starting secondary school and I couldn’t actually believe how much his uniform cost this year. I bought him a new backpack and pencil case for his birthday in March so that’s been stashed away, think I paid £30 for both. The uniform shop bill came to £100 which included blazer (I only bought one because I honestly just can’t afford 2), tie and his full PE kit which all has to bear the logo. I bought him trousers, socks and shirts from M&S which was £50. £50 shoes from Clarks (he’s in a size 7) and £30 on football boots. Then his coat was £50 and stationery including scientific calculator £25. Total cost over £300.

Then have two DD’s in KS2. Both have adult sized feet, have done for a while so shoes from Schuh were £30 each. Uniform and new PE kit was £200 for both. They don’t need new bags or lunch bags thankfully but do need new water bottles so £20. Coats £25 each from mountain warehouse.

All in all I’ve spent about £600 on the three of them, most of it being on DS.

Nothing as they all stay in the same school.

Summer holidays are only 6 weeks here! They rarely have such a gross spurt they need everything new since end of July.

I buy everything as needed. They won't need winter uniforms until October/November.

I don't buy winter coat until later in the year. My kids always have at least 2 coats, so if one is filthy or wet, they can put the other one own. They usually have a third one that still fit from last year anyway.

I don't understand how so many children, staying in the same school, need EVERYTHING new early September.

@isthisareverse

In my case the requirement for new each year

The eldest grows stupidly fast. I sincerely hope she stops growing soon. At 11 years old, she's 5ft 4 with size 6 feet. Between ordering her school trousers and them arriving her legs grew two inches, from 28 to 30 inch. That was in 4 weeks. So I'm sure it will stop soon. God I hope it stops soon

My youngest weirdly doesn't grow, she's teeny tiny, still fits in clothes for 2 years below her age range. But she wears her clothes hard. Her school cardis from last year were missing buttons, the cuffs were frayed and they were pulled out of shape. Her shoes she'd walked through the inner bit of. However her home clothes, she's still got jeans from two years ago. So it's not like she gets all new, every season. Just her school stuff needs replacing.

Dc1 needs a new blazer and 2 new jumpers - £70
Dc4 needs new jumpers, shirts and trousers - about £100

That's it, not bad for 5 dc.

Oh, and we only replace bags as needed. Water bottles, we have 4 in rotation for the kids and 2 each for adults. They only get replacing when broken.

So the youngest needed a new bag this year because last year the strap got ripped when someone yanked on it. The eldest needed a new bag because hers was a few years old and I couldn't wash it to clean.

I've got 4 kids in school, so hundreds. Probably over £450

Next year dc3 starts secondary so that will be expensive. He's tiny so unless he has a massive growth spurt I will need to buy new blazers and jumpers in age 9-10 as his brothers hand me downs will be massive on him.

It’s only going to be school shoes here really - and a coat for Ds when it gets colder or when I see one.

Last year was our big spend with Dd starting secondary but she hasn’t grown that much.

We did school shoes at just over 100. Need to do trainers but wont get expensive ones.

School clothes - all still fit! Evem pe kit etc. Starting secondary was a shock last year though. £250ish I think so glad all still okay. Just new tights.

Bags/bottles are fine and eldest moving to school meals this year.

We get our outdoor coats from mountain warehouse/go outdoors and get a decent waterproof/warm one so can do school and home. We may need to do that x 2 this year but will leave that til October.

I don't get the "but new everything for September " thing mentioned on mn either!

DD is in secondary, and needs to change to senior uniform next year (jumper, skirt and jacket change). Unfortunately, as she has got fitter over recent years, her junior uniform skirt was swimming on her (she had the elastic pulled as tight as possible to just stay on her but all bunched up uncomfortably at the back) - so needed a new skirt. In a way, we were lucky as they didn't have the smaller size, so the company altered her existing skirt instead.

We also needed to replace some PE uniform items (she does a LOT of sport) - 1 tracksuit bottom, 1 PE top, 1 thermal layer underneath, hockey shoes, runners, hockey stick grip, etc - so all "uniform" items added up to over €300 so far. And I need to mend a sports fleece to replace a pocket (again!) rather than buy a new one.

Books were another €80 odd (only 3 subjects as transition year so lots of taster subjects not requiring books - next year will be a killer!). She doesn't need extra stationary this year as she had a bundle of copybooks that weren't needed before to reuse. But we will probably need to top up pens and refill pads later in the autumn.

So a cheap year this year for me.

Next year, I expect a big uniform spend, books, possibly replacement laptop, stationary, sports gear including hockey shoes and runners, school shoes (she will need proper shoes then - but her 2nd year shoes have barely been worn due to Covid as they wore PE uniform anyday they had sports when physically there last year - so DD wore it daily!). Likely not much change from €1,000, more if we do need to change laptop.

(I am not counting water bottles etc as we had to buy replacement ones over the summer when most of the old ones cracked/leaked or fell out of a boat and floated away, so we bought a few in Decathlon which have already been very well used).

We also don't do new bags/pencilcase/maths set etc unless they are needed (and they are not this year).