New back to school kit- mad buys

[pastagirl]

I have just realised that today I have spent just over 30 quid on two water bottles, which seems a unreasonable amount of money. Every year I buy one thing for back to school, that on reflection seems a bit mad.. whats your mad buy ??

Ds (13) and dd (9) had a budget to buy new things for going back to school. They have to check what they need and then get it within budget. As everything from last year is still in pretty good condition (homeschooling and all) they really went to town with just a couple of items each. But just over 30 quid for 2 water bottles.....that is not where I would have spent it but both delighted.

That's not really a "mad" buy though is it? You've told your DC they can spend x amount of money and they've spent it.

That's an odd way to buy "back to school" stuff - don't you just identify what they need and buy that (and some years it might be nothing and other years it might be loads)? I appreciate budgeting is necessary but if your DC, for example, has grown out of all their uniform, there isn't really an option other than to buy more even if over a nominal budget.

I'm not buying anything for my DC this year. Except pens. I swear they eat them.

I am considering buying Klean Kanteens for DS after DD has had success with them and he's broken loads of others (TBF I'm not great at keeping them intact either). They are around this much. I don't think it's a bad use of money.

I bought a spare water bottle in Decathlon today.. 1.99..

2 entirely new sets of prep school uniform (school had introduced new uniform, there was no 2nd hand) at a cost of £1200 per child for a school we didn’t stay at very long.